Dish
1573-1620 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dish was made during the last years of the Wanli period, in the 17th century. The decoration has bright, inky blue tones, characteristic of high quality Chinese cobalt from Zhejiang province. Zhejiang cobalt came to be widely used for decorating both imperial and popular wares towards the end of the Wanli period. The animals depicted are probably qilin; benevolent mythical beasts symbolising longevity, felicity and illustrious offspring.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in underglaze blue |
| Brief description | Dish, porcelain painted in underglaze blue, China, Ming dynasty, Wanli mark and period (1573-1620) |
| Physical description | Dish of porcelain, painted in underglaze blue in the middle with grotesque animals sporting in a landscape; round the rim inside is a border of conventional lotus-flowers with scroll foliage on a continuous stem. The under side of the rim is painted with floral sprays and insects set alternately. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'da ming Wanli nian zhi' in underglaze blue
|
| Object history | Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co. (25 Camomile Street, EC.), accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Production | Register |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This dish was made during the last years of the Wanli period, in the 17th century. The decoration has bright, inky blue tones, characteristic of high quality Chinese cobalt from Zhejiang province. Zhejiang cobalt came to be widely used for decorating both imperial and popular wares towards the end of the Wanli period. The animals depicted are probably qilin; benevolent mythical beasts symbolising longevity, felicity and illustrious offspring. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.93-1910 |
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| Record created | February 12, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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