This shallow stoneware bowl was filled with fat or oil and a wick when it was used as a lamp. Such oil lamps usually come with a piece of clay thumbed on the rim as a handle. This piece was part of a sizable cargo of Chinese export ceramics and porcelain uncovered from a late 17th century shipwreck near Vung Tau, Vietnam. It was probably meant to be sold to the Southeast Asian market for everyday use.
