Pater Gratia Oriental Art

The Hatcher Junk (1643-1646)

 

The Hatcher Junk

 

1643-1646

 

The Hatcher Cargo was recovered from the wreck of a Chinese junk in the South China seas port of Batavia (today Jakarta) by Captain Michael Hatcher in 1983, and was later sold in the Netherlands. They were a small part of what, at the time, was the largest cargo of Chinese porcelain ever recovered in good condition from the sea. Captain Michael Hatcher and his crew brought up about 25,000 pieces of unbroken porcelain from the Hatcher junk those sold through four sales at Christies Amsterdam. The very wide diversity and quality of many of the pieces created great interest, and the date was established by the existence in the find of two pieces with the Chinese cyclical date for 1643.

 

Captain Michael Hatcher and his crew brought up about 25,000 pieces of unbroken porcelain from the Hatcher junk. Those sold through four sales at Christies Amsterdam. Captain Hatcher returned to the site in 1985 and salvaged over 2,000 more pieces, most of which were sold through a London dealer, Heirloom and Howard. The great majority of the 25,000 pieces were Jingdezhen blue and white, but there were also interesting groups of celadon, blanc-de-Chine, coloured wares and provincial blue-and-white. (Sheaf & Kilburn 1988, pp.8-19)

 

The ship was almost certainly sailing from China to the Dutch base at Batavia from where cargoes were purchased and transhipped to Dutch East Indiamen for their journey to Europe.

 

The range of shapes of wares available in the Hatcher junk illustrates what a south Asian porcelain trading vessel of the mid-17th Century might be expected to contain. The cargo also includes objects which normally did not reach the West. This wreck should be seen in its historical context. There was a Dutch pewter jug found in the wreck, which certainly suggests a connection with the Dutch East India Company, (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie VOC), headquarters at Batavia. The native Ming dynasty was overthrown in 1644 and the resulting civil war substantially upset Chinese trade with the VOC and other western powers. The rebellion interrupted Junk trade to the VOC headquarters at Formosa, the entrepot for ceramics bound ultimately for Batavia. The contents of this wreck suggest a considerable conservatism in the production of Chinese domestic blue-and-white for the first half of the 17th Century. Types of kraak porcelain which were discovered in the Witte Leeuw wreck (which sank in 1613) are closely mirrored in the porcelain of this ship, 30 to 40 years later, it is often said that the Dutch were very conservative in their porcelain taste during the first half the 17th century. It may well be that the VOC went on buying kraak type wares, and the reason why such large amounts of dishes, bowls and jars survived especially in the Netherlands, is that, in fact, there was no export porcelain alternative readily available which the VOC could buy in quantity from Chinese trading Junks. Many of the smaller pieces offered from this wreck bear earlier reign-marks, mostly of the late Ming Emperors none unfortunately of Tianqi or Chongzheng, but equally none with Kangxi marks or cyclical dates for the earliest years of the Manchu Qing dynasty. (Amsterdam 1985, pp.7-8)

 

2012571
2012571

Shipwreck Porcelains - The Hatcher Junk (1643-1646) 

 

Object 2012571

 

Winecup

 

China

 

c.1643

  

Provenances: The Hatcher Collection, Christie’s Amsterdam, 12 and 13 June 1984, Aronson Antiquairs Amsterdam May 3, 1986 see the original description of the wine cup on Aronson Antiquairs Amsterdam stationery include in this sale.

 

Height 44 mm (1.73 inch), diameter of rim 50 mm (1.97 inch), diameter of footring 19 mm (0.75 inch), weight 25 grams (0.88 ounce (oz.))

 

Winecup on footring of conical shape with a slightly flaring rim. Decorated in underglaze blue with a dragon leaping through cloud scrolls to gasp the flaming pearl, between a double line border around the foot and a single line around the rim. On the base the original orange/red Christie's Amsterdam circular paper auction label which reads: Hatcher Collection Christie's June '84 with the added handwritten in black ink words 'MING' and ' 1620' (corresponding with the text on the handwritten description of the wine cup on the Aronson Antiquairs Amsterdam document.).

 

There were 7,800 winecups in a very wide range of shapes and decorations on the Hatcher junk, but no kraak ones. The fashion for drinking tea and coffee had recently spread from the Middle East to Europe, and cups in new styles were in great demand. However, we cannot assume from their absence on the Hatcher junk that they were no longer made, and it may equally well be that the demand for them continued to match the kraak dishes, bowls and flasks on European dinner tables. (Sheaf & Kilburn 1988, p.39)

 

About twenty similarly shaped winecups were salvaged from the wreck of the East Indiaman Witte Leeuw which sank in 1613. The discovery of such fine wares having been made for export before 1612 was rather surprising. It has always been believed that such porcelain belonged either to Imperial ware, of which only pieces trickled to Europe during that time, or that they dated from a later period. Proof that this type of ware had come to Europe at the beginning of the 17th century comes from Ms Gordon Lee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In the J.G. Johnson collection there is a still life painting by Christoffel van den Berghe (working in Middelburg from 1617-1642), dated 1617 on which two winecups are painted which are exactly the same as those from the Witte Leeuw. A second historical source was found in the inventory of the Art Cabinet of Gustavus Adolf of Sweden which was put together before 1634. In it, there are three winecups of the same type as those from the Witte Leeuw. Furthermore, at excavations at the James River Basin in Virginia, Dr. Julia B. Curtis saw that several sherds excavated from various tenant settlements near Jamestown are of the same type as the winecups from the Witte Leeuw. The settlements date from 1618-1650. The East Indiaman the Banda, sunk at Mauritius in 1615 (two years after the Witte Leeuw) had on board a private cargo of Chinese porcelain. Among the wares a large quantity of these winecups was found. (Pijl-Ketel 1982)

 

 

Christoffel van den Berghe, Dutch (active Middelburg), active c.1617 - after 1628 Philadelphia Museum of Art, (source: www.philamuseum.org) The painting is not included in this 2011773 offer.

 

The shape is typical Chinese and resembles the well-known winecup or in Japan, sake up. On VOC lists with porcelain, the name 'pimpelkens' occurs frequently. A 'pimpelken'  could be a small cup or glass from which brandewijn (a kind of brandy) was drunk. On ships, they were also used as a measure for rations (for instance fruit juice against scurvy). The name 'pimpelkens' therefore probably refers to such types of winecups. (Pijl-Ketel 1982)

  

In total 2,184 of these 43 mm (2.87 inch) winecups decorated with a dragon leaping through cloud scrolls to gasp the flaming pearl were sold by Christie's Amsterdam on 12 and 13 June 1984 divided over the lots: 71-96, 379-420B and 500-509. (Amsterdam 1984/2)

 

For identically shaped, sized and decorated winecups, please see:

For similarly shaped winecups, please see:

1986-05-03 Aronson Antiquairs

The original description of the wine cup, dated May 3, 1986 on Aronson Antiquairs stationery.

 

Condition: Perfect.

 

References:

Pijl-Ketel 1982, pp. 143-144 & inv.no: NG 1977-34W & NG 1977-128W

Sheaf & Kilburn 1988, pp. 32-37

Amsterdam 1984/2, lot 71-96. lot 379-420B & lot 500-509

www.philamuseum.org

 

Price: Sold.

 

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