A large Swatow (Zhangzhou) porcelain bowl painted in deep cobalt blue with a 'Swimming Duck & Lotus' pattern on the outer walls, the interior rim decorated with a foliate border, and a central roundel on the well depicting a heron amongst lotus stalks.

The Chinese junk carrying the Binh Thuan cargo was likely sailing to the Malay Peninsula or Java when it sank off the coast of Vietnam in the early 17th century. By this time, the Zhangzhou kilns in Fujian Province had emerged as the major competitor to Jingdezhen in the ceramic trade. While Jingdezhen produced fine porcelain for elite markets, Zhangzhou catered to the lower-end markets of Southeast Asia and Japan.