A white ceramic bowl from the Vung Tau shipwreck. The bowl is circular in shape and sits on a short, sturdy ring foot from which its convex walls rise to meet a wide mouth. The everted rim is adorned with a faint band of dark pigment, most of which is now lost due to age and seawater exposure. The bowl has minor deposits and encrustations to the surface, particularly inside the foot. Signs of wear as consistent with its age, such as significant discolouration and indentations to the body. Three stable hairline cracks running down the body from the rim on one side. Chipping around the rim. Stickers relating to the shipwreck auction are visible to the exterior. The Vung Tau Cargo shipwreck was discovered in 1989 off the southern coast of Vietnam by a Vietnamese fisherman. The ship is believed to have sunk around 1690, based on the coins and porcelain wares found in the ship. It was an Asian trading vessel likely headed for Jakarta in Indonesia, where the Dutch East India Company was located and transported goods to the Netherlands. As they were intended for a Netherlandish audience, porcelain wares from this period were made in a variety of shapes and colours that would appeal to a commercial Western clientele. Blank white porcelain in particular was popular in Europe for many centuries due to its glossy quality and the ability of Chinese craftsmen to mass-produce small objects in this medium. Measurements (circa): Rim diameter 14.2cm, Height 8cm Provenance: From the 17th Century AD Vung Tau shipwreck, discovered in 1990.