Sunken Treasures – Shipwrecks and the Maritime Silk Road

Sunken Treasures – Shipwrecks and the Maritime Silk Road

In 2019 the exhibition Sunken Treasures was organised at the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics. Featured are the ceramic cargoes of eight shipwrecks - from the 9th to 19th century - that show the long and rich history of the Maritime Silk Road. Asian ceramics, and in particular Chinese porcelain and stoneware, are often part of the remaining cargoes of these shipwrecks. This makes them a valuable source to gain knowledge on maritime trade in this region and in particular to trace the spread of Chinese ceramics. To highlight the vital role of underwater archaeology to preserve this history the museum cooperated for this exhibition with the Dutch Cultural Agency (RCE). The RCE has helped in setting up a constructive way to present this kind of material and the issues that come at play, including the controversy involved. By presenting this material in a larger context, the museum believes that is acceptable from an ethical point of view to use these commercially salvaged materials in the exhibition and that visitor are stimulated to critically reflect on what actually makes up the ‘sunken treasures’.

Eline van den Berg

Martijn Manders

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology

November 2021

English

Van den Berg, Eline, and Martijn Manders. 2021. “Sunken Treasures – Shipwrecks and the Maritime Silk Road.”
Project and Oceanic Environmental Education Program.” Edited by Brian Fahy, Hans Van Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt
Knoerl, and Riley Smith. In Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage:
Keelung,Taiwan, and Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology URL:
https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/691

Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage