Decorated with stylized pattern. Lenght 11 cm.
Wear to glaze.
The 'Desaru' ship was a Chinese vessel which sank in the 1830s with a cargo of Chinese ceramics. The name relates to the resort village of Desaru near the wreck site, in the southeast of Peninsular Malaysia. The original name of the ship is unknown.
The blue and white porcelain found on the ship is attractive and of very high quality, but the quantity does not match that found on other shipwrecks like the Diana (1817) or the Tek Sing (1822). The many large and crudely-potted storage jars found onboard suggest that more practical objects were in higher demand than decorative objects or wares for fine dining - although the discovery of over 50,000 soup spoons unmatched with bowls also demonstrates the scale of contemporary trade and the danger of extrapolating too much from a single cargo.
Historical shipwrecks with cargoes of porcelain and pottery are perfect time capsules if properly excavated and researched. Frozen in time, shipwrecks provide an accurate insight into ancient maritime trade and the goods traded at the time when the ship was lost. The cargos tells us about the most popular designs and shapes of the time and helps us with dating porcelain. Bukowskis are happy to be able to present this collection brought together with artifacts from some of the most important shipwrecks excavated in modern time such as for example Hatcher, Royal Nanhai, Nan King Cargo, Desaru, Cau Ma, Vung Tau Cargo etc.