GRIFFIN
Franck Goddio, Evelyne Jay Guyot de Saint Michel
In
this publication, Franck Goddio presents the results of fifteen years’ patient
research, restoration and preservation work on the thousands of items found on
the wreck of the Honourable East India Company ship, the Griffin.
The ship was part of a convoy sailing along a little-known sea route sometimes
used as a shortcut. It was charged with a clandestine mission crucial to the
expansion policy which the East India Company was aggressively, if discreetly,
pursuing at that time.
The minute restoration, documentation and comparison of the remains of this
shipwreck cast new light on European trading patterns, but above all on our
knowledge of the great Chinese art of porcelain manufacture and decoration and
its master artists.
The excavation proved a massive undertaking, requiring a sizeable team, 420 days
of work onsite and a total of 15 years to complete.
The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, maps and archival material,
and contains a complete inventory of the porcelain found on the wreck site.
·This
lovingly presented book provides a detailed account of the search, discovery and
excavation of the 18th century wreck of the English merchant ship Griffin.
·Franck Goddio, leader of the archaeological expedition, paints in the
fascinating historical background to the wreck. The discovery of the Griffin has
yielded important new information about this era of maritime expansion, trade
and intrigue.
·Coauthor, Evelyne J. Guyot de Saint Michel, details the significance of the
artefacts recovered from the shipwreck, notably a unique collection of Chinese
porcelain wares.
hardback,
boxed with dust cover and printed in 4 colours
684
colour and B&W photographs, illustrations and diagrams
Format:
ISBN 1-902699-02-5