Rare Chinese Porcelain at the Percival David Foundation in London

Hamburg, August 2000. On 6 September 2000 the Percival David Foundation in London will be opening an extraordinary exhibition of porcelain artifacts from the cargo of the Chinese junk "Lena Shoal".

The "Lena Shoal" was wrecked on a reef and sank off the island of Busuanga in the Philippines around 1490. Its cargo consisted mainly of valuable Chinese porcelain identified as merchandise dating from the Ming dynasty at the end of the 15th century. Only very few pieces have survived from this period in museums and private collections around the world. The porcelain discovered in the "Lena Shoal" is presumed to have been destined for the Persian and Turkish markets.

The wreck was discovered in 1997 by the French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio. The excavation work was carried out in co-operation with the Philippine National Museum.

Not only valuable porcelain and ceramic items were recovered during the excavation work on the wreck, which was found at a depth of 40 metres, but also artifacts made of copper, jewellery and a number of everyday objects and utensils. These include tiles, jugs, porcelain jars, writing utensils and drinking bowls decorated with an array of different motifs.

Eighty of the valuable blue-and-white porcelain items and white ceramic objects will be on show for the first time at an exhibition at the Percival David Foundation from September 6th till December 15th 2000. The exhibition is sponsored by the Hilti Foundation, Liechtenstein.

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