Chinese Export Nanking Cargo Batavia Bowl

Chinese export Nanking cargo Batavia-ware tea bowl with cafe-au-lait color on the outside. The interior is painted in underglaze blue and depicts a diaper border and chrysanthemums.

The term ‘Nanking cargo’ refers to porcelain recovered from a specific Dutch East India Company merchant ship, the Geldermalsen. In 1752, the ship was fully loaded with a variety of Chinese goods, and departed for the Netherlands on December 18 of the same year. After only 16 days at sea, the ship sank on January 3, 1752 in the South China Sea. There were over 100,000 pieces on the ship. The shipwreck was found in 1985 by a British-born salvage expert. It seems nothing short of miraculous that porcelain left under the sea for hundreds of years could be in impeccable condition. The wares had been packed in tea, which would have provided a valuable second cargo for the Dutch East India Company, and had the unintended side effect of protecting the porcelain from the ravages of salt and sand.