pair, saucer

pair, saucer

18th century
Country
China
Object
pair, saucer
Accession Number
2003.35.1-2
Credit Line
Gift of Jan and Frederick R. Mayer
pair, saucer. 18th century. Gift of Jan and Frederick R. Mayer. 2003.35.1-2.
Dimensions
height: .938 in, 2.3825 cm; diameter: 4.625 in, 11.7475 cm
Inscription
Numbered on base "4325,3483".
Department
Arts of Asia
Collection
Arts of Asia

Saucers
1700s, Qing Dynasty
China
Porcelain
Gift of Jan and Frederick R. Mayer

2003.35.1-2

These porcelain saucers were recovered from the Griffin shipwreck off the coast of the Philippines. The Griffin, an English East Indian Company ship, made several round trips between China and Europe before it sank in 1761. More than 7,500  pieces of porcelain were found; most, like the objects shown here, are the blue-and-white ware made in Jingdezhen kilns. These pieces were decorated with a bird holding a fish in its beak. The Chinese associate the heron with water themes, but given that these porcelains were for European customers, this bird could possibly be a pelican. 

Exhibition History
  • DAM "Sunken Treasures," Nov. 18, 2000 - Oct. 20, 2002