Oldest Thing...

...in our house as far as I can establish.

Continuing the theme of yesterdays indoor Blip of a Mani wheel I set out to find the oldest object in our house to Blip. My gaze rested on this item which is a Chinese porcelain cup from the 'Nanking Shipwreck Cargo'. The Geldermalsen was one of 6 ships commissioned in 1746 by the Zeeland Chamber, the second most powerful of the six chambers of the VOC. The ships were merchant vessels which the VOC used for long-distance trade to the West Indies, and the Far East round the Cape to Batavia, Canton and South Chinese waters.

In 1751, while on its way way back to Netherlands with cargoes of Chinese goods loaded in Canton, it hit a coral reef and sank in the South China Sea. The bulk of the cargo was salvaged by Captain Michael Hatcher and in 1986 sold at Christie's in Amsterdam as the Nanking Cargo. This cup, and it's attending saucer (not shown) is Lot #5110 bought by my mother from Christies.

If I find anything older in the house I certainly Blip it.