Oriental Ceramics and Chinese Porcelain from a Portuguese Indiamen – the presumable Nossa Senhora dos Mártires (Tagus River, Portugal)

Summary

During the Ming dynasty  the first connections were established between occidental and oriental communities. Through the hands of captains, merchants and missioners, for nearly a century the Portuguese had almost the exclusive trade with Asia, ensuring the Chinese porcelain trade. In general, the rare and exotic goods from the orient, in particular the Chinese porcelains, were a vast area of trade that inspired the artistic sensibility of the Portuguese society; a fashion trend that endured until the 18th century. 

Representative of that trend is the collection discovered in the remains of an Indiamen, sank in Tagus River, Portugal, in 1606. Among other material fragments of Chinese porcelain, Ming Dinasty, Wanli period (1573-1619) were identified as well as oriental ceramics from the South of China (16th-17th centuries). These were bound to Lisbon, the receiving centre of rare commodities from Eastern markets and the main distribution hub for local ceramic products.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Looking for the Iberian Ship   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 251