Blue Chrysanthemum Chinese Shipwreck
Porcelain Tea Bowl and Saucer Kangxi c1660
A beautiful Fine quality blue and white set, hexagonal in shape, painted with
panels of river landscapes depicting fishermen, geese, trees and peonies. The center
is decorated with a rocky riverscape with trees. The underside of each piece
bears a Lingzhi mark.
Size: Saucer: 10.7cm Tea Bowl: 6.7cm
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact.
Condition: Marine adornment to the underside of the tea bowl, two tiny rim
frits to the tea bowl, good condition, no chips or cracks.
the blue chrysanthemum shipwreck was lost in the South China sea, late 17th
Century AD, and recovered in 2014.
The early Kangxi Shipwreck & Cargo
Analysis of survey, material and cargo samples from the wrecksite indicate that
the ship was exporting high quality Chinese porcelain made in the 1660’s, possibly
on behalf of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The wares were predominantly
Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain, although multi-coloured ceramics and
utilitarian wares were also uncovered within the cargo. Some items were display
wares whilst others were intended for use. The Cargo included a large GU shaped
vase which truly was a remarkable piece,
illustrating a western square rigged merchant ship, by the flag almost
certainly a Dutch ship, and possibly representing the very ship that was to
carry the cargo.
The porcelain recovered from the wreck was exclusively Chinese ceramics, all
assessed by experts to be excellent examples of early Chinese Kangxi in origin indicating
they were manufactured in the famous porcelain centre of Jingdezhen in the
Jiangsu Province.
Jingdezhen kilns made porcelain over two millennia, since the Han Dynasty.
Jingdezhen kilns supplied the most artistically advanced ceramics to the world
for centuries. Blue and white porcelain was the most famous product of Jingdezhen,
and reached the height of its technical excellence in the early Ching Dynasty. The
shipwreck pieces recovered are typical of the highest quality blue and white of
the Kangxi period, characterised by charming and sophisticated designs. They demonstrate
a great expertise in the production of a brilliant under glaze in sapphire
blue, applied in five or six tones to produce a vibrant, dimensionally nuanced
effect, together with a fine thin attractive white (or slightly bluish) silky
glaze applied to a stark white and finely formed body. The cobalt blue colouring
is distinctive on the early Kangxi porcelain and is referred to as ‘gem blue’
or ‘Kingfisher Blue’, it is much purer and brighter than that of Ming Dynasty
wares. These shipwreck pieces provide an insight in to the quality of the wares
that were carried on board the ship to include items such as; figurines as well
as a delightful variety of vases, plates, bowls, bottles, jars, teapots, cups with
saucers and other items. Large pieces were uncommon during this period, their
manufacture being made difficult by quality control requirements.
Designs were sometimes based on Buddhist and Daoist themes, or sourced from
illustrations of Ming stories such as ‘The Three Kingdoms’ or ‘The Romance of
the west Chamber’ together with the dramas ‘Xixiang Ji’ and ‘Wui Hu Zhuan’.
Chinese Kangxi blue and white porcelain was increasingly varied and innovative
in its designs. The influence of Dutch and other European shapes and designs
were in evidence prior to and during the Kangxi period. The very high standards
achieved early in Kangxi’s reign, evident in the samples recovered from the
shipwreck, mark the high point of quality for Chinese blue and white ceramics. Quality
declined in later stages of the Kangxi Emperors reign, as the huge demand for
Chinese blue and white porcelain developed in both overseas and home markets,
giving rise to a profusion of unregulated kilns. Quality was diluted by
increased production volumes, and as the Ching Dynasty progressed, competition
from mass produced wares and the instability of the political environment debased
the traditional fine porcelain industry.