Ancient Chinese, Tek Sing shipwreck Pottery Plate

ITEM: Plate
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Chinese, Tek Sing shipwreck
PERIOD: 19th Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 30 mm x 150 mm diameter
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex Nagel auction, with oficial Tek Sing Trasure labels.

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country.

The Tek Sing shipwreck, which occurred in February 1822, is one of the most significant maritime disasters in East Asian history. The ship, a large Chinese junk, was sailing from Amoy (modern-day Xiamen, China) to Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) when it struck a reef in the Gaspar Strait. The ship was carrying a cargo of over 350,000 porcelain items, silks, spices, and other goods, intended for the Eastern and European markets. Tragically, over 1,500 people—most of them Chinese immigrants—drowned in the incident, with only 190 survivors. The wreck's immense loss of life has earned it the nickname "The Titanic of the East"​

In 1999, the wreck of the Tek Sing was rediscovered by marine salvage expert Michael Hatcher. The site was located in the South China Sea, near the islands of Sumatra and Java. The salvage operation uncovered an astonishing collection of porcelain artifacts, including fine blue and white porcelain from the Dehua region of China. These items were carefully recovered and auctioned in Germany, where they became significant pieces for collectors and scholars studying early 19th-century Chinese export goods​

The discovery of the Tek Sing wreck provided invaluable insight into both maritime trade routes and Chinese porcelain craftsmanship. The cargo from the ship serves as a vital historical reference, particularly for understanding the global trade of goods between China and the wider world during the early 1800s. Unfortunately, the treasure of artifacts recovered from the wreck was dispersed, and the wreck site itself was destroyed during the salvage operations