Description

“In Following the Dragon, Merry Outlaw beautifully illustrates and expertly identifies the Chinese origins of porcelain uncovered at early seventeenth-century Jamestown, Virginia, offering a compelling window into the vast trade networks that made fine Chinese porcelain a coveted status symbol in the Western world.”
– Dr. William M. Kelso, CBE, FSA, SAR

“In the early seventeenth century, Chinese porcelain went all over the world, becoming what some scholars have called the first ‘global brand’. No better example of this is the number and variety of pieces that made it to Jamestown, a tiny settlement perched precariously on what was, to a European perspective, the edge of the known world. This book beautifully explores this rich collection, giving us a better understanding of Chinese porcelain’s range and reach and of the material world of Jamestown’s earliest settlers.”
– Ronald Fuchs, Editor, Ceramics in America

About the Author
Merry Abbitt Outlaw, Senior Curator at Jamestown Rediscovery, has over fifty years of experience in the research and care of archaeological materials. A specialist in ceramics from the colonial period of English America, she has published widely in Ceramics in America, where she also served as editor of “New Discoveries.” Outlaw is a member of the American Ceramic Circle, the English Ceramic Circle, and the Oriental Ceramic Society.

Title: Following the Dragon: Late Ming Porcelain From James Fort, Jamestown, Virginia
Author: Merry Abbitt Outlaw
Publish Date: November 2025
Pages: 148
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 979-8-9866610-1-8