Description: Spanish Galleon shipwreck-recovered ceramic vessel circa 1724; amphora-form vessel, encrusted with silica and barnacles; H9 1/2" Dia.8 1/2"
Provenance: Georgia collection
Other Notes: Accompanied by National Geographic, December 1979 (Vol.156, No.6). Signed letter with photographs of this vessel reads:
In July of 1724 the galleons Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and Conde De Tolosa sailed from Cadiz, Spain. Their destination was Veracruz, Mexico via Havana. The main cargo they were carrying was mercury, which was necessary for refining processes. This was the yearly shipment for the gold and silver mines in Mexico. On August 24, 1724 the two galleons were passing by the bay of Samana on the Northeast coast of Hispaniola when they were hit by a hurricane and both ships were sunk. The story of their sinking and the salvage efforts were featured in the December 1979 issue of The National Geographic and in the book 'Arqueologia Submarina en la Republica Dominicana' by Pedro J. Borrell.
This clay car or olive jar was recovered from the Nuestra Senora de Guadelupe and is one of nine brought to the United States by Susan Hendrickson between 1978-1984.