Chinese Tang Terracotta Sogdian or Semitic Groom

Comprising three bowls, one footed with scroll decoration to the outer face; one with tendrils to both faces and decorative border to the outer face; one with dashes and concentric circles; a lidded cylindrical box; two bowls repaired and box lid chipped. 762 grams total, 7.4-14 cm



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.

Comprising a shallow bowl with a lakeside scene showing a fisherman on the foreground, two floating junks on the lake and buildings in the distance; the bowl with a painted scene of a man riding a buffalo and leading another one on a tether, a tree and flowers to the field, repaired. 85 grams total, 7.3-10.6 cm



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.

One fusiform with painted scene of courtly ladies kneeling, artistic images on display, reserved gilt chop-seal to underside; one conical with outdoor scenes of richly dressed ladies and gentlemen beside a lake. 123 grams total, 92 mm each



From a private Tyneside collection, formed since the early 2000s.