Natural History, panel 11 of 18
Oil on canvas, 26” x 26”
The Fifth Voyage Of Zheng He
In December 1416, the fleet set sail to return ambassadors home (to 19 countries). They traveled to Champa, Java, Sumatra, Malay, Maldives, Ceylon, Cochin, Calicut, Hormuz, Aden – and sailed to Africa for the first time to return ambassadors from Mogadishu, Somalia and Kenya. Along the Swahili coast, the fleet traded porcelain, silk, damask, carpet, pearls, perfume, glass beads and was gifted a giraffe.