Feature: Chinese porcelain from deep-sea wreck sheds light on 18th-century Europe-Asia trade

by Xinhua writer Zhang Yuliang

OSLO, June 25 (Xinhua) -- About 600 meters below the surface of the Skagerrak Strait off southern Norway, large quantities of Chinese porcelain have rested for more than two centuries inside an 18th-century merchant vessel.

Now, Norwegian maritime archaeologists are bringing parts of the ship's cargo back into public view, opening a rare window onto the movement of Chinese porcelain into Europe and its place in 18th-century consumer life and trade networks.

Known to researchers as the Porcelain Shipwreck, the wreck contains Chinese porcelain, glass goblets and bottles, chandelier fragments, grain, textiles and other organic materials. Some recovered objects have been put on display at the Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo.

For researchers, the finding is not only a spectacular deep-sea archaeological discovery, but also a time capsule that may help explain how goods from China, northern Europe and possibly the Baltic region converged in one maritime trade system.

RARE WRECK IN DEEP WATERS

The wreck was discovered by Espen Saastad, a watch designer from Porsgrunn in southeastern Norway who also operates a small remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, and seabed survey company.

Saastad recalled the first time he and the museum team approached the wreck with an ROV. "We saw a lot of white items," he told Xinhua. "When we were getting really close to the wreck, we saw all these plates, all these cups, the jar, and all these crystal things from the chandeliers."

Saastad said they quickly suspected that the objects must be Chinese porcelain. "It was a really fantastic experience in the boat, and everybody was very excited."

Frode Kvalo, a maritime archaeologist at the Norwegian Maritime Museum and project leader of the Porcelain Shipwreck, said the work is being carried out in stages. The first task is to understand what kinds of materials, trade goods and ship equipment remain at the site, and how they are distributed, before a full excavation can be planned.

According to the museum, the wreck is believed to be a fully laden 18th-century merchant vessel. Based on observations so far, the vessel appears to have had a round stern and may have been a galliot, a type of merchant ship characteristic of northern Europe. The wreck measures about 22 meters in length and includes the remains of two masts.

So far, researchers have identified large quantities of Chinese porcelain, chandelier parts, glass goblets, bottles and barrels of grain. Crates found at the site may contain textiles and organic materials, possibly including tea, herbs or medicines.

A brick recovered from the ship's galley bears the stamp of Luebecker Ratsziegelei, a brickwork in the German city of Luebeck that operated from the 15th century until 1772.

Kvalo said the importance of the wreck lies in its good state of preservation, the high quality of the objects and the unusual cargo composition, which brings together Chinese porcelain, northern European glassware, chandeliers, grain, textiles and other organic materials.

The depth also makes the project significant. Kvalo said Norwegian archaeologists had not previously worked on a shipwreck in the open sea at a depth of 600 meters, and archaeological work at such depth had not been carried out in northern Europe before.

Many questions remain unanswered. Researchers do not yet know where the ship came from, where it was heading, why it sank or what happened to the crew. Because the vessel appears to have carried valuable cargo, Kvalo said there may be historical records related to its loss, including customs lists, insurance records and other archives.

CHINESE PORCELAIN AND 18TH-CENTURY TRADE

Among the most eye-catching findings is the porcelain. Much of it is blue-and-white Chinese porcelain. Some pieces are Batavia ware, with a brown-glazed exterior and blue-and-white decoration inside. Some may be Blanc de Chine, a type of white porcelain.

Knut Myrer, an Oslo-based Asian antiques and art specialist and a long-time member of an Oriental ceramics society, was among the visitors viewing the recovered objects in the museum. Standing before the display, he told Xinhua that the porcelain appears to be typical Chinese export ware made for the European market, probably dating from around 1745 to 1760.

Chinese ceramics experts in Jingdezhen, a city long known as China's "porcelain capital", have also followed the archaeological discovery and offered a more detailed assessment after examining images of the porcelain.

Weng Yanjun, director of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum and Institute, said the style of the blue-and-white porcelain pieces is close to Qianlong-period specimens in Jingdezhen's ancient ceramics database.

According to Weng, Batavia ware was a major category of export porcelain ordered by European countries from Jingdezhen. Small dishes and bowls with blue-and-white decoration and brown glaze were often used for coffee and tea.

Myrer said Chinese porcelain was used in Europe for drinking tea, coffee and chocolate. Large quantities of Chinese tea were exported to Europe in the 18th century, and paintings from the period show people in fine clothes drinking tea from Chinese porcelain, he said.

For Myrer, the finding shows the global influence of Chinese porcelain in the 18th century and its role in European consumer culture. Chandeliers represented high-status goods associated with elite society, while Chinese porcelain was increasingly embraced by the emerging middle class, he said.

CONSERVATION, RESEARCH AND COOPERATION

The Norwegian Maritime Museum is now working on further research, conservation and public display.

Sven Ahrens, senior curator and director of research and heritage management at the museum, said the immediate priority is to continue fieldwork during favorable summer weather. The team hopes to recover more objects that can be shown to the public.

Ahrens and Kvalo both said they hope to cooperate with Chinese experts in the future, especially after more artifacts are recovered. Weng also said there is room for cooperation between China and Norway in restoration, kiln-site comparison, scientific analysis and digital documentation.

Kvalo said only a limited number of objects have been brought up so far, including cups and plates, while many more remain on the seabed. "When we have done the excavation, there will be possibilities to bring in foreign experts, also from China, to study things," he said.

He also praised China's experience in deep-water archaeology, noting that China has conducted underwater archaeological work at about 1,500 meters in depth.

The recovered objects are undergoing conservation work, including desalination.

The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage has provided 2.9 million Norwegian krone (293,000 U.S. dollars) to support the project. Researchers say the amount is far from enough for a full excavation.

The museum is preparing a project plan and budget. If more government funding is secured, it hopes to use a larger vessel and conduct a full excavation in the coming years. Enditem