A BLUE AND WHITE MALLET-FORM VASE, TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, FROM THE HATCHER CARGO
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

China, c. 1643-1645. The vase with a tapering body set with a long waisted neck and flaring mouth, painted in shades of cobalt blue with a fan-shaped cartouche enclosing a river landscape depicting a scholar beside a shore, the remainder of the body and neck decorated with sprays of lotus, bamboo, morning glory, and other auspicious flowers, and the shoulders encircled by a band of floral scrolls within double line borders. The flat base unglazed revealing the white ware.

Provenance: Michael Hatcher, recovered from the ‘Hatcher wreck’ in 1983. Christie’s Amsterdam, 14 March 1984. The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France, acquired from the above. The base with three labels, ‘Myrna Myers Paris’, ‘The Hatcher Collection, Christie’s Amsterdam 14-03-1984’, and ‘Recovered from an Asian vessel sunk in the South China Sea’. Michael Hatcher (b. 1940) is a British explorer and marine salvor who specialized in salvage work in the South China Sea. In 1981, he was involved in investigating the wreck of the Dutch submarine K XVII. He is especially known for his recovery of large quantities of Chinese porcelain from the VOC ship Geldermalsen (known as the ‘Nanking cargo’) which was sold at Christie's in Amsterdam in 1986. Previously, he had discovered another ship in the South China Sea, which became known as the ‘Hatcher cargo’. A part of the cargo salvaged in this wreck was sold at Christie’s Amsterdam in March 1984.
Condition: Good condition with expected surface wear and firing irregularities including minor kiln grit, the upper rim possibly smoothened, one side with a U-shaped hairline below the shoulder. The exterior with surface alteration consistent with objects from maritime salvage.

Weight: 1.8 kg
Dimensions: Height 36 cm

The present vase was recovered among some 25,000 vessels found on the wreck of an unidentified Asian ship in the South China Sea. This ship is known as the 'Hatcher cargo’ after Captain Michael Hatcher who discovered her in 1983. There is no written record testifying to the exact year of her sinking but the covers of two oviform jars inscribed in underglaze blue with a cyclical date corresponding to 1643 make fairly precise dating of the wreck possible. The cargo primarily consisted of two types of blue-and-white porcelain made at Jingdezhen at the end of the Ming dynasty – late variations of 'kraak' ware and examples of a 'transitional' style characterized by landscape motifs and naturalistic plants and birds. The ship may have been on its way to Indonesia, carrying also spices, silk and other commodities for sale to the Dutch whose East India Company had offices in Batavia (modern Jakarta). Chinese junks sailing to Batavia or Bantam varied in size from 200 to 800 tons. The journey out was made over three weeks during December and January and the return trip took place in June and July.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 17 May 2012, lot 250
Price: GBP 15,000 or approx. EUR 29,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white mallet-shaped vase, mid-17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, cobalt-blue decoration, motifs, and size (37 cm). Note the garlic mouth.