Title
Dish with Arabic inscriptions
Year/Period
Late 16th century - early 17th century
Region
Zhangzhou kilns, Fujian province, China
Material
Dimension
Object size: 6.8 x 36.4 x 37.1 cm
Accession No.
2014-00703
Collection of
This dish belongs to the type of Zhangzhou (also referred to as "Swatow") ceramics that features Arabic inscriptions as the main decorative motif. The inscriptions, comprising different qu’ranic verses and invocations, are painted in bright red enamels. This ornamental design clearly illustrates how Zhangzhou potters catered to the tastes and demands of their overseas clients.Ceramics produced at the kilns in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, were a major type of Chinese export ceramics during the late Ming period (1368–1644). They were exported to Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe, where they seem to have been favoured for their exuberant decoration executed in polychrome enamels.
