15th Century vietnamese pottery box from the famous Hoi An hoard shipwreck.

Diameter: 2  3/4 inches. Well preserved. Unrestored. Close inspection reveals areas of beautiful marine encrustations, fascinating evidence of the centuries spent undisturbed on the ocean floor.

This rare piece has a wonderful, romantic provenance. It was excavated from the important Hoi-An shipwreck. The Hoi-An was a huge, overloaded trading ship that sank in the mid 15th Century, probably due to a catastrophic typhoon. The ship was carrying a substantial cargo of High Quality Vietnamese Ming export porcelain. We know that the Hoi An wares were produced in Kilns near modern-day Hanoi and were probably bound for the European Market before the ship was cruelly destroyed and sunk 250 feet into the cold waters of the South China Sea. The fascinating story of the Hoi-An and its recovery has been made into a best-selling novel by Frank Pope, entitled Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Treasure, Archeology, and Greed Off the Coast of Vietnam.

In contrast to many unprovenanced Hoi An pieces on the market, this ceramic has been officially recorded by the Vietnamese authorities (VISAL), whose sticker is affixed to the artifact.  The recent ratification of the UNESCO convention by South East Asian countries will effectively put a halt to all future shipwreck salvage operations.  Consequently, legitimately recordedpieces such as the present example are finite in supply and currently represent a fantastic investment opportunity.

Ceramics from the Hoi An wreck can now be found in the worlds major museums, for another porcelain box from the Hoi An, now on display at the Ashmolean museum, Oxford