The Art Treasures Found in a 1200-Year-Old Shipwreck

Changsha ewers trapped in a coral concretion on the top of the
wreck mound. Photo by Michael Flecker. Courtesy of Asia Society Museum.

A selection of well-preserved finds from the Belitunga shipwreckwill go on view in the U.S. for the first time ever in “Secrets of the Sea: A Tang Shipwreck and Early Trade in Asia” at the Asia Society in New York from March 7th (Meredith Mendelsohn, "The Art Treasures Found in a 1200-Year-Old Arab Shipwreck " Artsy  Feb 20th, 2017). The wreck  was discovered by commercial sea cucumber divers in 1998 in the Strait of Malacca, the narrow strip of sea snaking around the Indonesian island of Sumatra, linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans, off the coast of Indonesia,

As early as the 9th century, Arab cities had developed a taste for Chinese porcelain wares, commissioning all kinds of vessels from Tang Dynasty China, which even at that early date had developed techniques for the full-scale mass production of ceramics. While it’s ancient history, we’ve only learned relatively recently of the extent of trade between the two civilizations, thanks to an Arab cargo ship packed with porcelain that sank en route from China to the Persian Gulf in the 9th century.

Dish with floral lozenge decoration, Tang dynasty, ca. 825-50.
Photo by Asian Civilizations Museum, courtesy of John Tsantes
and Robert Harrell; Asia Society Museum.

The 60,000-some items from the wreck were recovered from the bottom of the sea by a commercial German excavation team, hired by the Indonesian government, in the late ’90s. But once again, archeologists attempted to block this important material from being seen by the public.

First exhibited in 2005 in Singapore, which purchased the contents from the excavation company, the artifacts were destined for display at the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery in 2011. That is, until archeologists and scientists demanded that the institution cancel the show, claiming that it would sully the Smithsonian’s reputation because the commercial excavation was conducted too hastily and not in accordance with academic standards—and hence could have led to the destruction of valuable information. But some information is better than none, and the Asia Society is embracing the opportunity to show the public the archaeological finds, while remaining sensitive to the problems with for-profit excavations. “The Belitung is one of the most significant archaeological finds in recent history,” says Tan. “We believe that American audiences should have the opportunity to see this material, which has transformed our understanding of intra-Asian trade and the scale and nature of globalization in Asia over a thousand years ago. The exhibition and programming also provide an opportunity to discuss these issues.”

 Perhaps archeologists are so concerned to uphold the national interests of the states from which they get their all-important excavation permits and privileges are opposed to exhibits which show that cultural property internationalism goes back over a thousand years as do the rights of individuals in one region to own cultural items produced in other regions.

For the pottery, see here.  Just to spite the control-seeking archeologists, collectors can buy some of this material online.