Welcome to the
Southeast Asian Ceramic Society
(SEACS)
What is the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society?
The Southeast Asian Ceramic Society was founded in 1969 in Singapore to widen appreciation and acquire knowledge of the ceramic art of China and countries adjacent to China, especially those of Southeast Asia. To pursue this aim, members meet in live or online sessions to hear talks by both local and international experts, to share information and to study and compare ‘pots’. Members also have access to previous recorded lectures and events, but many of this website’s features are free and available to all as you will discover.
For example, our members share some of their collecting stories (and the lessons they learned) with you in “Ceramic Stories”, found on the main menu. Read the story of one collector’s research into the collection he built up over the years while living in Southeast Asia by clicking on the picture on the right.
Upcoming events
SEACS members and their guests are invited to this long-awaited talk by ceramics expert Peter Lam on 'Kitchen Ch'ing porcelain made in Hong Kong'. The origin of these colourful ceramics, also known as 'Peranakan ware' in Southeast Asia, has been a long-debated subject. Many have offered their hypotheses as to the location of their original production and decoration centres, but now you have an opportunity to hear from an expert.
Who we are and what we do…
We are a non-profit society, founded in 1969, whose members are interested in Southeast Asian ceramics. Members needn’t be collectors, just interested in the various roles ceramics play in history, trade and culture. We are open to all from beginners to academics to specialized collectors. The Society arranges monthly programmes held on ZOOM with both local and international experts. The majority of our programmes are now recorded and available to members as a benefit of membership.
For local members, hands-on ‘handling sessions’ are held on a regular basis with experts to help members learn how to identify correctly the ceramics they may own or be considering for purchase. We also arrange an annual ceramics and book sale (featuring items de-accessioned from members’ collections) that includes many hard-to-find, out-of-print books on ceramics. Our online presence includes the digitisation of some of our publications. Field trips to both local and international destinations are regular member highlights.
The society and its early exhibitions “of the then-little-known ceramic tradition of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam caused a stir amongst the oriental ceramic cognoscenti, … inspired a generation of younger scholars and stimulated the interest of government archaeological departments throughout Southeast Asia.” As a consequence, ceramic societies were to emerge in ensuing years in West Malaysia, Jakarta, Manila and Hong Kong, following the lead of the Singapore chapter. Browse the many resources open to all on our website.
Ceramic News
Ancient Khmer Pottery on Display
Visiting Siem Reap this summer? Drop by the National Museum of Cambodia to see a new exhibition featuring ancient Khmer ceramics from the 8th to the 14th centuries, featuring many of the traditional Khmer ceramics our SEACS members will be familiar with. The exhibition is held in collaboration with the French Institute of Cambodia and will be open through 30 September 2022. Works from contempora [...]
Special Offer to SEACS members from Arts of Asia
Arts of Asia’s Summer 2022 issue, launched in collaboration with the Hong Kong Palace Museum ahead of its Grand Opening in July, comprises 8 commissioned articles by the museum’s curators covering its activities and exhibitions as well as detailed discussions of the many to-be-displayed treasures on loan from the Palace Museum. These are accompanied by stunning images provided by the Palace Museum [...]
Collector gifts collection to be studied then returned to countries of origin
Researchers at Adelaide's Flinders University have begun a five-year task to examine artefacts from shipwrecks in Indonesian waters, in a bid to discover new insights about the trade routes that connected South East Asia with the rest of the world for hundreds of years. Adelaide collector Michael Abbott has gifted his collection of SEA trade ceramics for study with the wish to return the pieces t [...]
More on the Temasek and Shah Muncher Shipwrecks
Two short articles by Dr. Michael Flecker on the Temasek and Shah Muncher wrecks can be found in the latest issue of Wreckwatch Magazine. Click on the picture for a direct link or copy the website address here: https://www.flipsnack.com/wreckwatchmag/wreckwatch-magazine-may-2022-ice-explorers.html
Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Members interested in underwater archaeology might want to drop by the site The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Amongst its many features are the presentations from the 2017 conference--the 3rd Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (APCONF). Of interest to members might be the paper dating the “Blues of the Santa Cruz Shipwreck [Hongzhi Period, 1488-1505]”, which inves [...]
Two Restorations
Watch this amazing new YouTube film of an expert Japanese restoration team (father and son) restore two damaged antique treasures (a Southern Song vase and a tea bowl) and you will learn many of the secrets of professional restorations. This beautiful 50-minute film will be a highlight of your ceramic education. The link is here. [...]