1822 Tek Shing shipwreck pottery bowl, antique Chinese Qing period blue and white ware

Here we have an antique Chinese blue and white bowl from the Qing Dynasty period Tek Sing shipwreck in 1822.

Made in the Dehua kilns in Fujian, this bowl is distinctly Chinese in style with its footed rim, blue and white glaze and decorative motifs. White clay body, with reddish colouration to interior base.

One of the last of the large ocean-going junks of the Qing  Dynasty, the Tek Sing sank on 6th February 1822 near the South China Sea in the Belvidere Shoals. It was journeying from Amoy (now Xiamen in Fujian) to Jakarta, carrying in its hold silks, spices and 350,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain. Having ran aground on a reef, the junk sank; while some of the passengers were said, the huge loss of life (1,600 people perished) have led some to call this wreck the ’Titanic of the East’.

The wreck would lay undisturbed for centuries, until on 12 May 1999, British marine salvager Michael Hatcher discovered in the Tek Sing. The largest Chinese wooden shipwreck ever discovered, Hatcher recovered about 350,000 pieces of the ship’ cargo, with the bulk being Chinese blue-and-white tableware. The recovered cargo was then sold through Nagel Auctions in 2000, bringing over $10 million USD.

These pieces are a distinct piece of Chinese naval history, reminding us of the vast risks that underscored 19th century maritime trade.

References:

https://web.archive.org/web/20080124114936/http://www.nauticalia.com/treasures-of-the-tek-sing.html

Price marked at $300 AUD.

Measurements: 14.5cm diameter, 6cm high. 

Excellent antique condition with wear overall commensurate with age and shipwreck conditions; pictures form part of description. Loss and fading to glaze commensurate with shipwreck pottery. Original Nagel auction stickers to base. Certificate of authenticity included.