When ‘Following the Dragon’ traces a trade route from Java to Jamestown…. Come see this special exhibition at Jamestown Settlement Museum and explore the journey of Chinese Ming porcelain to 17th-century Jamestown
When ‘Following the Dragon’ traces a trade route from Java to Jamestown…. Come see this special exhibition at Jamestown Settlement Museum and explore the journey of Chinese Ming porcelain to 17th-century Jamestown
Imagine the surprise you would feel when a mystery hundreds of years in the making is solved by a response to a post you made on Facebook? As simple as that sounds, the truth is complex, and hidden in the dirt for hundreds of years. If you love a good mystery – this exhibit is for you. And as a bonus, if you fancy seeing a piece of porcelain on loan from His Royal Highness Charles III of England, yes, the current King of the UK, then it is time to make a visit to Jamestown Settlement.
Jamestown Rediscovery Senior Curator Merry Outlaw wrote a book about her discovery, in part solved by a post she made in a Ming Dynasty Porcelain Facebook group. The “Dragon bowl” porcelain sherds that were found at the Historic Jamestowne Fort site were not an exact match for any other design they could find on porcelain from the time period. When she shared the image with her group online one expert said he had seen, what seemed to be a match, sell recently at auction. The piece that was sold was from Bantam, Java. How could the match to a piece of porcelain be halfway around the world? The explanation made perfect sense to Outlaw; Java had been a stop on the EIC (East India Company) trade route that brought goods to the new world. Outlaw wrote a book “Following the Dragon: Chinese Ming Porcelain in Early Jamestown” about this story, and the broader story of porcelain, that so precious that at the time of the founding of Jamestown it was known as “White Gold”. It was a status symbol of the Virginia elite.
This new exhibition at the Jamestown Settlement is based on the work in her book and shares the same name. It is a collaboration between Jamestown Settlement Senior Curator Beverly “Bly” Straube, Ph.D., FSA, and Jamestown Rediscovery Senior Curator Merry Outlaw, explaining the discovery of the the matching porcelain pieces which are believed to have been made at the same time to within 50 years of each other and the wider importance porcelain played in the social and economic strata of the James Fort at Historic Jamestown.
The Following the Dragon exhibit is as beautiful to walk through as it is educational. They have interactive pieces like the decoding section where you can lift decorated sections on a wall sized “dish” that uncover the meaning of the images on the porcelain. There is an emoji decoder to bring the next generation into the fun. A wall size screen tells the story of the pottery traveling from Java in the EIC ship through video. There are the tiny sherds of porcelain to pristine pieces, such as the one from King Charles III.
Fun fact: the original working title of Outlaw’s book was “Chasing the Dragon” but you can do a quick google search to find out why the title was immediately changed to “Following the Dragon”,
The exhibition is good for all ages and every age will get something different out of the experience. So while you are at the Jamestown Settlement make sure to visit the upstairs gallery to see this exhibition. It is part of your admission to the Jamestown Settlement ( which is free for residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, with proof of residency).
For more information, call (757) 253-4838 or visit jyfmuseums.org/following-the-dragon.
Press Release: ‘Following the Dragon’ special exhibition at Jamestown Settlement Museum to explore the journey of Chinese Ming porcelain to 17th-century Jamestown
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation Collaborative Exhibition Opening November 15 and continuing through July 12, 2025.
From palaces to palisades, take a journey of discovery in “Following the Dragon: Chinese Ming Porcelain in Early Jamestown,” a special exhibition at Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia history and culture, debuting on November 15, through July 12, 2026.
Presented by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation in partnership with the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation, the joint special exhibition of Chinese Ming porcelain uncovered archaeologically at James Fort reveals unexpected cultural connections that link colonial Virginia with imperial China, spanning continents and empires.
Featuring Chinese porcelain uncovered during excavations of the 1607-1625 James Fort at Historic Jamestowne, the exhibition examines who may have owned these evocative pieces, how they may have been acquired, and offers fresh insights into the social life of the early 17th-century Virginia elite.
More than 100 Chinese Ming porcelain vessels have been discovered during archaeological excavations of the 1607-1625 fort at Historic Jamestowne. For this exhibition, a total of 31 vessels recovered during Jamestown Rediscovery excavations will be paired with intact parallels from English, Dutch and American museums, as well as private collections from across the globe.
The early Jamestown colony has long been overshadowed by historical accounts depicting a muddy, military settlement rife with bouts of starvation, disease and high mortality. Archaeological discoveries of Chinese porcelain vessels by Jamestown Rediscovery in James Fort provide new insights to life in 17th-century Virginia. The exhibition explores how this struggling isolated outpost would house the most exquisite and expensive ceramic of its time.
Chinese porcelain, regarded as “white gold,” was seen as an exotic ware from the East that was difficult to obtain, making it a rarity that was usually associated in England with royal and upper-class households. As early Jamestown colonists sought to display their global awareness and social status, Ming porcelain became prized possessions among Virginia’s elite.
UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TWO PROMINENT HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONS
The joint exhibition was developed in collaboration between Jamestown Settlement Senior Curator Beverly “Bly” Straube, Ph.D., FSA, and Jamestown Rediscovery Senior Curator Merry Outlaw, and was inspired by the remarkable discoveries of Chinese Ming porcelain from the archaeological contexts of James Fort at Historic Jamestowne. Outlaw’s illustrated book – “Following the Dragon: Late Ming Porcelain from James Fort, Jamestown, Virginia”– traces how fragments of porcelain unearthed at Jamestown connect the Virginia colony to the vast networks of global trade in the early 1600s. The book will accompany the exhibition and be available with a selection of museum shop merchandise at both Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne.
“Following the Dragon” special exhibition is supported in part by James City County, James D. and Pamela J. Penny, Wilma and Marc Sharp, Ms. Lydia Kay Wilkinson, Mark A. and Iris Coblitz, Linda T. Baker, Carolyn Abbitt, Bruce H. and Eleanor Knowles, Larkin and Danny Schmidt, Stephen and Jean Louie, and Jerry E. Dalton.
HOW TO VIEW THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION
The “Following the Dragon” special exhibition is included with daytime admission to Jamestown Settlement: $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for youth, and children 5 and under are free. Residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive free admission with proof of residency.
Jamestown Settlement, open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., is located at 2110 Jamestown Road near Williamsburg, Va., near the Colonial Parkway and adjacent to Historic Jamestowne.
For more information, call (757) 253-4838 or visit jyfmuseums.org/following-the-
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