Tek Sing Small Cosmetic Containers

The glaze on the outside of these containers has probably faded due to erosion by sea water, which has left a beautiful tint of dark blue in turn. Most of the glaze inside the pots still remains.

A. Height 2.8 cm, width 6 cm.

B. Height 3 cm, width 6 cm.

Date: Circa 18th-19th century AD
Period: Qing Dynasty
Provenance: From the 1822 Tek Sing shipwreck that was discovered by Michael Hatcher in 1999.
Condition: Very fine condition.
Choice of item B
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SKU: NA-20111 Category:

The Tek Sing (which means “True Star” in Chinese) was a large Chinese junk, which sank on 6th February 1822 in an area of the South China Sea, known as the “Belvidere Shoals”. Undertaking its attempted journey from Amoy to Jakarta were 1600 emigrants and an enormous cargo, which included silks, spices, and 350,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain. Indeed, some of the cargo was even strapped to the ship’s hull, but its tight packing allowed it to become the largest cargo of Chinese porcelain ever to be salvaged from a wreck.

The great loss of life associated with the sinking has led the Tek Sing to be referred to in modern times as the “Titanic of the East” (cf. Nagel Auctions, ‘Tek Sing Treasures’, 2000, TS 137).

Weight 74.2 g
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Reference: Nagel Auctions, Tek Sing Treasures, 2000.