Crafting the Maritime Metalwork: Global Tin, Local Hands, and Pewter Innovation in South China

Pewter was widely used in Chinese daily life, yet it features in few studies. This article examines technological change and stylistic innovation in China's eighteenth- and nineteenth-century pewter making to reveal how maritime connections shaped local craft traditions. The high-quality tin that Chinese miners extracted in Southeast Asia provided artisans with superior material, leading to the development of a new tin-based alloy. Simultaneously, China's flourishing export industry inspired pewter artisans to incorporate European designs, establishing Chaozhou Prefecture in Guangdong Province as a center of pewter innovation. By tracing these intertwined material, aesthetic, and technological exchanges, this article argues that pewter production exemplifies how global trade and migration transmitted technologies that were then reinterpreted through local craftsmanship. By integrating perspectives from technological history, migration studies, global trade, and art history, this article demonstrates how global exchanges transformed metalworking technologies, artistic styles, and consumer culture in the maritime world of South China.