Bronze Seated Buddha Statuette

A rectangular ceramic brick displaying Buddha in an ankle-length robe beneath a canopy, in raised relief within a rectangular niche, his hands held in the varada mudra of charity and compassion. 4.06 kg, 32 x 16 cm



Acquired 1970-1990s. Ex Hong Kong collection. From a private West Country collection. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.

Comprising: a bowl with flowers and petals to the outer face, central flower and decorative border to the inner face; a larger bowl with three floral motifs to the outer face and decorative pelletted border to the inner face; a medium sized bowl with a flower trellis to the outer face and a spray of flowers to the inner face. 163 grams total, 67-76 mm



Ex Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 29-31 January 2007. Accompanied by an illustrated information sheet about the Ca Mau shipwreck.

The Ca Mau shipwreck refers to a cargo of Chinese porcelain sunk between 1723 and 1735 off the coast of Vietnam. The wreck was discovered by Vietnamese fishermen in 1998. It is believed the wreck was a merchant’s junk on its way from Canton (Guangzhou) to Batavia when it caught fire and sank. The ship was carrying goods destined for Dutch traders who had limited access to China and its ports.

Comprising six large bell-shaped footed bowls with painted flowers to the outer face and circumferential bands to the inner face. 2.77 kg total, 16.5 cm each



Ex Nagel Auction, with official Tek Sing Treasure labels to verso. Accompanied by an illustrated information sheet about the Tek Sing shipwreck.

The Tek Sing (True Star) wreck is one of the famous recovery stories of the 20th century. Sailing from the port of Xiamen (then known as Amoy) in February 1822 the vessel Tek Sing was bound for Jakarta, Indonesia laden with porcelain goods and 1600 Chinese emigrants. The captain decided to pass through the Gaspar Strait, between the Bangka-Belitung Islands, and ran aground on a reef. The vessel sank in about 100 feet of water. The next morning, February 7, an English East Indiaman captained by James Pearl, passing through the same waters, encountered debris and some survivors and managed to rescue about 190 of the latter.