Ca Mau Cargo Shipwreck Salvaged Scholars Rock Antique Porcelain Tea Set 1723 AD

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A hard to find, high quality matching teabowl and saucer set from the Ca Mau wreck. The bowl and plate date to the Yongzheng Period of China's Qing Dynasty (1723-1735) and were salvaged from the Ca Mau shipwreck - officially recorded pieces with Ca Mau stickers and numbers. The plate and bowl pair have been hand painted with matching depictions of the classic scholar's rock scene, with flowers rising and blossoming from the terrace to the rear. Moths are shown in flight to the side. Cross-hatch decoration adorns the inner rims of the plate and bowl, whilst the bowl contains a blossoming flower on the tondo.Scholar's rocks are naturally occurring rock formations that have been prized by Chinese since the 9th Century. They were set on a pedestal and admired for their beauty, where they were often compared to lost ancestors. This set 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. Plate diameter: 4 1/2 inches. Bowl diameter: 2 3/4 inches Condition: Exceptional condition, Unrestored. Provenance: Ca Mau wreck. Salvaged 1998 and catalogued by the Vietnamese authorities. 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 major museums, including the British museum and the Victoria and Albert. For another Tea set from the Ca Mau wreck, currently on display at the V & A, please see the following link . Please note: the stand shown is property of the photography studio. A similar stand may be purchased from our store, under accessories. 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. Ot... read more

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