Tek Sing Cargo c1822 Chinese Shipwreck Large Unique Storage Jar

  
Tek Sing Cargo c1822 Chinese Shipwreck Large Unique Storage Jar. During the hundreds of years spent beneath the sea, this piece transformed from a useful storage jar, to a unique piece of marine art. It retains a fascinating number of marine attachments, varying in colour shape and size.

The more you study this jar, the more you see. Height: 22cm Diameter: 18.4cm. As these pieces have spent hundreds of years submerged beneath the sea, an overall dulling of the glaze is quite common and more prominent in some examples. The Tek Sing (True Star) a large ocean going Junk, 60 meters in length, set sail from Amoy harbour in China, bound for Batavia (now Jakarta) on the island of Java. On board were merchants, crew and 1600 passengers, bringing the total compliment close to 2000 people.

The cargo holds were packed with over 300,000 pieces of porcelain, and in between and on top was stowed black and green teas, raw silk, bamboo furniture, mother of pearl tortoiseshell and medicinal herbs. About two weeks into the voyage the Captain attempted a shorter route through the treacherous Gaspar Straits. On the evening of 5 February the Tek Sing ran onto the Belvidere Roof and sank with a loss of almost 1800 lives, more than the Titanic. Its incredible cargo of porcelain, the largest and most varied ever recovered was auctioned in Stuttgart, Germany over a ten day period in November 2000.

This treasure was salvaged by Captain Michael Hatcher, the most successful underwater treasure hunter of our time. He has raised a number of precious cargoes from exotic locations including the legendary Nanking cargo in 1986. This item is in the category "Antiques\Asian/Oriental Antiques\Chinese\Porcelain". The seller is "joblackdog" and is located in this country: GB. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom.

1. Region of Origin: Chinese
2. Country of Origin: China
3. Product: Vase
4. Age: 1800-1849
5. Primary Material: Porcelain
6. Featured Refinements: Tek Sing
7. Features: Handpainted
8. Antique: Yes
9. Original/Repro: Antique Original