This blue and white beaker has a slightly everted mouth rim which is partially broken and a deep body tapering towards the domed base. The beaker features chrysanthemum flowers with long stems in underglaze blue. This beaker was probably used by the upper class in the Netherlands for drinking hot chocolate. Tall beakers are useful as drinking hot chocolate then required constant stirring as fat in cocoa did not mix well with hot milk. This piece was part of a sizable cargo of Chinese export ceramics and porcelain uncovered from a late 17th century shipwreck near Vung Tau, Vietnam. Sunk on the way to Batavia from China, the cargo on this ship would have eventually made it way to the European market where Chinese ceramics were popular and much valued. Although expensive, porcelain became the fashion among the class of new rich merchants and bourgeoisie in Europe.
