#384 • Vietnamese Vung Tau Shipwreck Barnacled Vase

Part of Lunar New Year Royal Family Auction (timed auction by GWS Auctions)

Starting at $1.00

Status: No sale

Est. $18,000-$19,000 Vietnamese Vung Tau Shipwreck Barnacled Blue Underglazed Porcelain Vase W/Artemisia Leaf Mark (From a Vietnamese Royal Family) - This stunning porcelain vase is elaborately decorated in a vivid blue underglaze with an ornate scene of concubines in a flower garden. According to our seller, this piece was recovered from the Vung Tau shipwreck, which sank around 1690 off of the coast of Vietnam. The wreck was discovered in 1986 and soon local divers had pulled a large number of Jingdezhen export porcelain pieces from the vessel. Eventually these activities were stopped by the Vietnamese government, which arranged for commercial salvager Sverker Hallstrom to excavate the wreck. There were approximately 48,000 pieces recovered from the site, some of which went to antique dealers in Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Singapore before being halted by the Vietnamese government. Several pieces were chosen for Vietnamese museums before the remaining pieces were sold by Christies Amsterdam in 1992, where they realized a return of $7.3 million. This piece comes from the estate of a Vietnamese Royal Family (the family now lives in the United States, and wishes to remain private as they still have relatives living in Vietnam). The base of the vase bears the Artemisia leaf mark in blue underglaze. This mark is typical of the Kangxi period, as up until the early 1680's conditions were unsettled in China and the existence of Imperial wares as well as the use of reign marks on porcelain was restricted in various ways resulting in a number of marks which came into use. Measurements: 10"H x 5"W