Chinese Blue and White Lidded Vung Tau Cargo Vase, C.1690

Ref: W605

Chinese blue and white lidded Vung Tau cargo vase, c.1690, the hexagonal body with six ogee-shaped cartouches containing moonlit watery landscapes alternating with potted flowers including peony, the long lobed neck with scrolling floral design, cruciform pattern, and a keyfret band to the rim, the lid with cruciform and diamond pattern

Dimensions:

Height: 15 cm. (5 7/8in.)

Notes:

CHINESE PORCELAIN FROM THE 'VUNG TAU CARGO'. sh April 1992, Christie's sold a collection of porcelain salvaged from the depths of the sea. It was a chance discovery made by a Vietnamese fisherman in 1989. The 'Vung Tau Cargo' had been an Asian trading vessel that was almost certainly bound for Indonesia from China and would have headed for Holland from there. Although there was little to date the wreck, the porcelain must have been produced around 1683, the year that is regarded as the official date of the re-opening of China's kilns at Jingdezhen after the Civil War had disrupted the industry since the 1630s. The cargo demonstrated the great influence of the Western demand for Chinese ceramics, with designs that often had no precedent in Asian ceramics but were emulating silver or glass Western shapes and designs.