Damo or Bodhidharma, the Indian monk who founded Chan Buddhism in China, is depicted here with typically exaggerated Aryan features - a prominent forehead and facial features, applied eyebrow curls and the pricked stubble on his chin. The incised eyes add an intensity to the gaze that is another of Damo’s characteristics (see 2000-03411, the figure of Da Mo standing on waves). The cloak with draw-string is an unusual addition to a figure more frequently depicted bare-chested and simply robed.Dehua, located on the southeast coast of Fujian province, is well known for its production of white porcelain, known to Europeans as 'blanc de Chine'. The earliest Dehua porcelain was produced as early as the 14th century but the production and quality of these porcelain peaked around the 17th and 18th centuries.
