Pair of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 'Nanking'

Pair of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 'Nanking' Sauceboats

3 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.

Note: The Nanking cargo is the most famous of the shipwreck cargoes the 'Nanking Cargo,' which is the term applied to the porcelain recovered from the wreck of the Geldermalsen that sank on January 3rd, 1752. The Geldermalsen was a cargo ship belonging to the Dutch East India Company that struck a reef on its way back from Canton China and sank off the coast of Indonesia. It took with it to the bottom of the sea over 150,000 ceramic pieces, nearly 700,000 pounds of tea, as well as gold and other cargo. The ship lay submerged for over 230 years, before being salvaged by Michael Hatcher in 1986, the recovered porcelain was sold through Christie's auction house. Fortunately most of the pieces are of the familiar 'blue and white' type, the decoration being under the glaze and therefore unaffected by the sea.

Applied label for Christie's Amsterdam, The Nanking Cargo Sale, April 28-May 2, 1986, Lot 3673.

Property from a Private Collection, Greenwich, CT
Condition Report: Minor wear and in good condition.

Not withstanding this report or any discussion concerning condition of a lot, all lots are offered and sold "as is" in accordance with our conditions of sale.