Deep-sea time capsule reveals China's trade with Europe

Among the most eye-catching findings are the porcelain pieces, many of them Chinese blue-and-white ware. Some pieces are Batavia ware, with a brown-glazed exterior and blue-and-white decoration inside. Some may be Blanc de Chine, a type of white porcelain.

Knut Myrer, an Oslo-based Asian antiques and art specialist and a longtime member of an Oriental ceramics society, was among the visitors viewing the recovered objects in the museum. Standing before the display, he said that the porcelain appears to be typical Chinese export ware made for the European market, probably dating from around 1745 to 1760.

Chinese ceramics experts in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, a city long known as China's "porcelain capital", have also followed the archaeological discovery and offered a more detailed assessment after examining images of the porcelain.

Weng Yanjun, director of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum and Institute, says the style of the blue-and-white porcelain pieces is close to Qianlong-period specimens in Jingdezhen's ancient ceramics database.

According to Weng, Batavia ware was a major category of export porcelain ordered by European countries from Jingdezhen. Small dishes and bowls with blue-and-white decoration and brown glaze were often used for coffee and tea.

Myrer says Chinese porcelain was used in Europe for drinking tea, coffee and chocolate. Large quantities of Chinese tea were exported to Europe in the 18th century, and paintings from the period show people in fine clothes drinking tea from Chinese porcelain, he says.

For Myrer, the finding shows the global influence of Chinese porcelain in the 18th century and its role in European consumer culture. Chandeliers represented high-status goods associated with elite society, while Chinese porcelain was increasingly embraced by the emerging middle class, he says.

The Norwegian Maritime Museum is now working on further research, conservation and public display.

Sven Ahrens, senior curator and director of research and heritage management at the museum, says the immediate priority is to continue fieldwork during favorable summer weather. The team hopes to recover more objects that can be shown to the public.

Ahrens and Kvalo both say they hope to cooperate with Chinese experts in the future, especially after more artifacts are recovered. Weng also says there is room for cooperation between China and Norway in restoration, kiln-site comparison, scientific analysis, and digital documentation.

Kvalo says only a limited number of objects have been brought up so far, including cups and plates, while many more remain on the seabed."When we have done the excavation, there will be possibilities to bring in foreign experts, also from China, to study things," he says.

He also praises China's experience in deep-water archaeology, noting that China has conducted underwater archaeological work at about 1,500 meters in depth.

The recovered objects are undergoing conservation work, including desalination.

The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage has provided 2.9 million Norwegian kroner ($293,000) to support the project. Researchers say the amount is far from enough for a full excavation.

The museum is preparing a project plan and budget. If more government funding is secured, it hopes to use a larger vessel and conduct a full excavation in the coming years.