Plate

Object Type
Many wares from Jingdezhen in China carry the date of manufacture in the form of an emperor's 'reign mark' painted on their underside, normally as four or six characters inside a double circle. However, the presence of an imperial reign mark does not necessarily mean that an object was made for the imperial court. Reign marks were used on many ordinary pieces, like this one, to give them added value. During the Kangxi period (1662-1722), when this object was made, many other marks were used as well. Owner's marks, studio names and lucky images were all popular.

Time
During the 14th century cobalt was imported into China from the Middle East, especially Iran. By the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), however, methods of processing local Chinese cobalt ores had been developed. Blue and white porcelain was exported in large quantities to the Middle East and to a lesser extent to the West.

Materials & Making
This dish was manufactured at the Jingdezhen kilns in Jiangxi Province. A large part of the production there consisted of blue and white wares. The cobalt blue pigment was painted directly on to the porcelain body, which was then covered in a clear glaze and fired at a temperature of between 1280 and 1350ºC.