Bowl - Porcelain - The Nanking Cargo

Chinese export porcelain bowl – “The Nanking Cargo” – Qianlong period (ca. 1750) – with Christie’s auction label

Elegant Chinese export porcelain bowl from the famous “Nanking Cargo,” the VOC ship Geldermalsen that sank in 1752 in the South China Sea and was salvaged in the 1980s by Michael Hatcher. The cargo was auctioned in 1986 by Christie’s Amsterdam and is regarded as one of the best-known shipwrecks of Chinese export porcelain.

The bowl is finely painted in underglaze blue with iron-red and black enamel, featuring a refined river-and-rock landscape with a pine tree in a minimalist, poetic composition. The inner rim is decorated with a geometric band. On the underside is the original Christie’s “Nanking Cargo” auction label, lot number 3183.

Details

Origin: China
Period: Qianlong period (1736–1795), circa 1750
Provenance: The Nanking Cargo, Christie’s Amsterdam, 1986
Material: porcelain
Decoration: underglaze blue with enamel colors
Height: 6.3 cm
Diameter: 14.8 cm
Condition: good, only minimal wear/scratches, a few small edge nibbles, otherwise in very good condition.

An authentic and historically interesting piece of Chinese export porcelain with documented provenance from the legendary Nanking Cargo auction.

Literature / reference

Michael Hatcher & Colin Sheaf, The Nanking Cargo, Christie’s Amsterdam, 1987.
Similar pieces from the same cargo: Christie’s Amsterdam, “The Nanking Cargo” auction, 1986.

Free shipping:
International shipping with Track & Trace.
Will be very securely packed, please do not worry!