Antique Ca Mau Cargo Shipwreck Blue & White China Cherry Blossom Tea Plate -1723

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A wonderful vibrant Chinese blue on white porcelain plate dating to the Yongzheng Period of China's Qing Dynasty (1723-1735) and salvaged from the Ca Mau shipwreck. An officially recorded piece with the Sotheby's Ca Mau sticker and numbers. The plate depicts a striking depiction of a wild cherry tree, sprouting from two areas on either side of the tondo. The tondo itself, bordered by concentric circles, depicts a single sprout of wild cherry, with blossom and leaves. The exterior of the plate is decorated in beautiful uniform "cafe au lait" slip. A romantic and exotic depiction of wild cherry that would have appealed to early European tastes. This plate was exported from Jingdezhen (a Kiln in southern China) on the Ca Mau vessel, a Junk bound for the port of Jakarta, modern day Indonesia. The Junk, or large trade vessel, was capitalizing on the booming business of Chinese Export porcelain. The beginning of the 18th Century saw an insatiable appetite for Chinese ceramics sweep across most of Europe, with coffee and tea drinking a new and popular pass-time for the wealthy and middle-class alike. Archaeologists have discerned that the final hours of the Ca Mau were spent ablaze, as the crew failed to control a fire on the ships deck. She finally sank thirty nautical miles off the Ca Mau peninsula in southern Vietnam, her memory lost until fishermen happened upon her whilst trawling in 1998. Diameter: 4 3/8 inches. Condition: Unrestored and in exceptional condition. Provenance: Ca Mau wreck. Salvaged 1998 and catalogued by the Vietnamese authorities. Ex Sotheby's 2007. This is a hard to find Ca Mau ceramic with official excavation number and Ca Mau sticker, indicating that it was legally removed and catalogued by the Vietnamese Authorities. Similar pieces without provenance, almost certainly sourced from the illicit Bangkok art market, should be avoided as their investment value and legality are dubious. Since the ratification of the UNESCO convention, cooperative ventures between South East Asian countries and salvage companies have been effectively halted. Hence, well provenanced antique Shipwreck Ceramics are no longer appearing freshly on the market. Pieces such as this therefore constitute a finite resource and are some of the best investments available on the art market as a whole. Reference: Please see Tau Co Ca Mau (The Ca Mau shipwreck), 1723-1735 by Dinh Chien. Ceramics from the Ca Mau wreck can now be found on display in the worlds top museums, including the Victoria and Albert and the British museum. For a tea bowl from the Ca Mau, currently on display at the Geffrye Museum, London, please see the following link. Authenticity All items are unconditionally guaranteed to be Authentic as described. For added security we offer a full money-back guarantee if a recognized authority disputes the authenticity of any object sold. We send paper invoices incorporating a signed certificate of authenticity and photograph of the item. Shipping We send all collectibles Registered, Signed-for and Insured. We do not aim to profit from shipping charges. As volume sellers with preferential rates, we are mostly able to ship at below commercially available prices. For eBay customers If you wish to leave us a note or have a special request for delivery, please do not use the "item notes" on the ebay checkout. Instead, please send your request via the contact seller link. Combined shipping In some cases we can combine multiple items into a single package to save you money. However, If you plan to purchase items over the course of a day or more you must delay payment and let us know after you have purchased the first item. Otherwise all items are sent following cleared payment. Terms and conditions No Sales Tax/VAT will be charged by ourselves. We are not responsible for customs delays/duties. As legitimate sellers, we abide by United Kingdom and European Union Export regulations. We do not mis-describe items on the customs form. Please note that in most countries, a... read more

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