![Large Japanese [?] Bowl](https://d3h6k4kfl8m9p0.cloudfront.net/stories/vG4jlvyI6Wx6OUkACHa3gA-thumb.jpg)
Posted 9 years ago
elanski
(97 items)
This is a rice bowl salvaged form the Tek Sing ship wreck. The Tek Sing was a large three-masted Chinese junk which sank in 1822 in the South China Sea. The vessel was 50 meters in length, 10 meters wide and weighed about a thousand tons. The ship was manned by a crew of 200 and had approx. 1600 passengers and a large cargo of porcelain goods on board. After a month of sailing, the Tek Sing's captain decided to attempt a short cut through the Gaspar Strait between the Bangka-Belitung Islands, and ran aground on a reef, sinking the junk immediately. Only 190 survivors were rescued by a passing ship the following day. The wreck was forgotten until 1999 when it was discovered and salvage experts recovered much of the porcelain cargo.
This piece is a rice bowl in a traditional Chinese blue and white pattern. It has some water marks where it has been below water for so long but otherwise is in good condition.
That is quite the provenance. Quite helpful that there is a photo of it underwater.
You have a piece of history. It's absolutely amazing.
Is there a maker's mark?
AmatoorPikr, there is no mark on this piece as it's not an important work. Just common wares used for daily life. Plus, most of workers in Chinese kiln can't read and write, means they can't draw the correct character on the porcelain.
I apologise, I was confused with another piece. There could be a mark on this bowl, but never seen in character form. Sorry again.
Shrine is correct. There is no makers mark, and yes very many were made. Lots for export.
elanski, there were many bowls made in this style over 200 years, but only the one made in Kangxi Qianlong and Yongzhen ages has this amazing quality. It's much more collectable than the bowls made during mid-late Qing dynasty.
BTW, the motif on the bowl resembles Lingzhi, what's a sacred mushroom in Chinese culture represents longevity. Hence this kind of bowl is called Lingzhi Bowl. Here is a link to a bowl shown in British Museum, but it's not as good as yours. Enjoy.
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=179087&partId=1&searchText=tek+sing&view=list&&sortBy=imageName&page=1