Blue and white porcelain formed part of the cargo of Chinese boats in the 1800s, sometimes as goods to be delivered and sometimes to weight the boat.
At that time, an untold number of these boats were lost at sea and with them went a whole history of rare Chinese porcelain. But in recent times there have been expeditions to salvage many of these wrecks and their cargoes and a fascinating story is unfolding.
Next weekend sees a two-day exhibition and sale of these artefacts in the Merrion Room in the RDS, Ballsbridge. This is the Tek Sing Cargo exhibition and sale which is jointly run by the Silver Shop, Powerscourt Centre, Dublin in conjunction with the Nan King Company, London.
The Tek Sing is also known as the Titanic of the East because some 1,600 people lost their lives when it foundered on a reef off the coast of Java in 1822. It was excavated by Captain Mike Hatcher and has proved to be a treasure hoard of blue and white porcelain, with everything from exquisite figurines to bowls, boxes and dishes. Not only does it show us what kind of porcelain was being made in China in 1822, but it also revealed china of a much earlier date, as some of the voyagers were wealthy merchants who brought their own personal collections on board with them.
A rare Ming celadon incense burner which dates from the early 15th century will be on sale at a price of €6,000. But there are also many small pieces of great beauty which are selling at €70 and in the middle bracket are a few rare seated figures of boys, which are quite tiny at about two inches high and which will sell at €1,395 each. The Exhibition is accompanied by lectures and videos showing footage of the dives and salvage operation.