Our Treasure of the Month is this extremely rare intact K’ang Hsi porcelain found by Mike Blanchard after Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. From the K’ang Hsi period (China 1662-1722), this item, and many like it, were found on various 1715 Fleet wreck sites along the Treasure Coast. Because of its delicate beauty, intact pieces (those that were not cracked or broken) were highly regarded artifacts.
There were three distinct styles found: blue on white designs; pure white, with only a faint tracing visible where a decorative border once circled the rim; and bowls covered with black enamel with traces of gold decoration. Our featured treasure is the blue on white style.
This china, fragile and beautiful as it was, actually was the five and dime store variety of its day. It was being shipped to Spain to be sold commercially. There was nothing rare about it in 1715. It may have been garden variety 302 years ago, but today one cannot assess its true value.
