CHERNOBLE & THE SCRIPTURES & facts.

FIGHTS ERUPTED outside Christie's Amsterdam salesrooms yesterday as large crowds queued to view the celebrated Nanking cargo, salvaged from the South China Sea wreck of the Dutch East Indiaman Geldermalsen.

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Initially valued at about £3 million, the cargo, comprising 150,000 pieces of porcelain and 125 gold bars, is now expected to fetch. far more. , IC c•,. ti:;,(i:!3 (l'cil ll)I~ illllf

The unique sale of the ship's cargo, much of it in pri,;tinf' condition, has aroused excrptional entbusiasum.

Tempers became frayed and fights erupted as up to J 5.llfilJ people jostled and pushed their way into the salesrooms.

The Geldermalsen hacl set ofl from Canton on its Wil'v h.ic I,. to Holland, when, on Ja11. 3, l7fJ2. she struck a rnral rPd ,HHI sank. Most of thr. pots 011 ho,tnl were preserved in tea. tht: ship's main cargo.

Threat from pirates

The treasure \\as rc•t uH•r<•d bv Capt. Michael Hatdwr. a t,11. mer Dr Bamardo's buv. \\·hu,r main rivals were Soutb Ch111J Sea pirates. "We were wr.11 aware we could be knocked oft at c111v time. But we are allowed to (·arry arms on our boat," said Capt. Hatcher, 4ti.

llis search, using high tec::hnology equipment. bej!c1n following his acndent1al disc-overv of a free tradmg Cluoese Junk in 1983 from whith he and hi~ team brougbt up a 1640s .. t1111e capsule" of pol'C'ela1n "hit h threw new hght on an obscure .period of Chioei.e export \'\'art· and was sold, amid mud1 acclaim, also at Chr1sl1C''s 111 Amsterdam. "That really set mC' looking tor early vessels, though at the time I had no idea what I had found," said Capt. Hatcher who. witb his crew, expects to get 20 per rent. ofth~ sale pric~.

The cargo is named after the pi.in• where it was Iran,-.. ,h1µpe1I en route from the kilns to CJnton.

Dutch East India Companv rt•cords indil'att• that the• l;t'JdermalsC'n wa,; carryin,:: '.!03 thc·,h 1ncludrni: 171 dinnc•r ,-.er-

,.1111 c·r,. l!1.,i3:i mike c UJh J111l ,J11,·1•r,. I ~.31:i d11111c•r platt•,-.. l.-t.'i2 ,;oup plalt•,-.. 2!Jfl rn,;pi•

dor,. (jllli \IJlllll pol '1. i":i ti"h bowl.,. •1-17 ,-.1111.!11• tfi,h<' .. I .0011 nt•,t,; ot round dbht:,. ,11111 25.921 slop 1.Jm, I,. Gold ingots

Most of 1111, i,,. flt'ini: dlll'· tJUrlt'd from tod.iv unt 11 Frid,tv. Ccltalogue 1,s111nate!> tor till' sail· rJn~t• trom about JOO (l)utdrJ tlor,us a lot, or less than £30, 111 mc1ny thou!>and,-., but :.111n• viewing be!!!Jn the suggestion 1:.: •· For ffonus, read pounds."

Among the tavounte item,-. an• till' blue-and-white li,h tlr,he~ of wh1c·h Capt. Hate hl'r c11!1111h· "I would love to havC' kept one.··

The catalogue estimatr. tor 1he111 is under £2.000 each. while the gold ingots c1n• t•xpected to make about £2 500 apiece. ·