Broken dish

This dish features a phoenix standing amongst plants in the central medallion in underglaze greyish cobalt blue. Surrounding it on the inner wall are sixteen panels. The panels with patterns of dots alternate with the broader panels depicting floral sprays.Zhangzhou wares such as this were commonly known as ‘Swatow ware’ due to the erroneous belief that the ware was shipped out from the port of Zhantou (Swatow). These wares were mainly made for export to Japan and Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Chinese ceramics were highly prized in these places and were used extensively by the nobility and the elite as status symbols.

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