The vessel was a Chinese style junk some 24 metres long, divided into 25 compartments – each packed full of late Ming Dynasty export ware porcelain from China – collectively known as Swatow ware - and destined for the South East Asian market.
In 2004, Christies, the revered London-based auction house, auctioned the items in Melbourne Australia on behalf of the Vietnam Salvage Corporation, the Bình Thuận Peoples Committee and the Ministry of Culture.
The pieces still bear the lot number stickers from that auction.
By purchasing one of these beautiful bowls, you are acquiring a genuine Ming Dynasty porcelain bowl from the South China Sea wreck site of the BINH THUAN that sank in 1608.
Presented in a custom-made travel crate, each one is a unique piece of history, with many bearing the remnants of marine encrustation from centuries upon the ocean floor.
Each one also carries the lot number from Christies, the revered London-based auction house who auctioned the items in Melbourne, Australia in 2004, on behalf of the Vietnam Salvage Corporation, the Binh Thuan Peoples Committee and the Ministry of Culture.
Whether a collector, designer or interior stylist these beautiful pieces can be utilised throughout the home and work equally as well part of a styled vignette or as an item for delicate use.
PLEASE NOTE: The bowls may be encrusted with marine organisms and displaying some minor damage – all consistent with being under the sea for some 400 years thus endowering the wares with a unique patina – not defects.
