The Abbasid Tang Collection

The collection surveyed here presents the sole, privately owned portion of a
breathtaking cargo recovered from an ancient Arabian dhow, which sank of
the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on its return journey from China shortly
after 826 CE.

The recovered ancient vessel, known as the Belitung or Tang shipwreck, which
was carrying tribute from the Tang Emperor to the Abbasid Caliph, has been
described by the Smithsonian Institute as one of the most important
archaeological discoveries of the late 20th century. It is the earliest evidence of
direct trade between the two empires in their golden ages and a time capsule
of immense historical value to all nations once connected by the world's most
significant channel of commercial and cultural exchange: the maritime silk
route.

The dhow and its treasures speak of brave and skilled mariners, of the early
spread of Islam and of the greatness of Tang China's opening to the world.

While Europe struggled in its dark age, the flourishing Tang Dynasty [618-907]
ruled an empire that stretched from the East China Sea far westward into
central Asia. From its million-strong capital of Chang'an (today's Xian), it
governed diverse peoples, welcomed foreign traders by land and sea, and
exerted powerful influence far beyond its borders and three centuries.

Overlapping the Tang Dynasty for some 150 years, the Abbasid Caliphate
[750-1258], the third Caliphate in succession after the Islamic prophet
Mohammed (pbuh), who had himself been a merchant, ruled the vast expanse
from North Africa across the Arabian Peninsula through today's Iraq and Iran
far eastward into central Asia.

Baghdad, the Abbasid capital, was

Chang'an's counterpart as the
port of Basra was the counterpart
of Tang China's Guangzhou
(Canton). Connected to Basra by
inland waterways and roads,
second Abbasid Caliph Abu Ja'far
Abdallah ibn Mohammed al
Mansur is to have said of the
location:

There is
no obstacle between us
and China.

Everything on the
Talismanic Bowl with Abbasid Dhow &
Buddhist symbols (Makara Fish, Turtle & Wild Geese)
sea can come to us from
Changsha, Hunan Province, China Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) H: 5.4cm, Dia: 15.4cm
On this imaginary map of the 8 th and 9th centuries, it is the maritime silk route
(which finds its sensational first material evidence in the recovered dhow's
cargo) and the more ancient land routes through central Asia, that connected
Arabian, Persian and Chinese high cultures in a unique circle of cultural
exchange.

The collection of 125 priceless objects both displays a cross section of Chinese
ceramics aboard the vessel and features some of the overall cargo's most
captivating pieces. These include the now famous Changsha bowl with the
earliest known depiction of an Arabian dhow. Shown under sail in a complex
microcosm of symbols, it is perhaps the portrait of the very dhow itself.

The collection also includes extremely rare Green and White splashed imperial
wares, as well as other wares for the court: elegant, minimalistic Xing
porcelains and stunningly incised Yue celadons. Yet the collection's simpler
trade wares are no less captivating and valuable. Several bear Islamic
inscriptions, which are among the oldest surviving documentations of Arabic
script in China.

The historical importance, as well as the size, scope, coherency and ironclad
provenance of the collection make it ideal for a museum devoted to the truly
global themes of the past and present.

Green and white splashed stemmed cup with drinking spout and fish medallion
"Jinfeng" ( ) Imperial Kilns, Hebe Province, China, Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)
H: 10.5cm, Dia: 10.8cm, Base Dia: 7.8cm