This large "Swatow" porcelain dish was made during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty, the Wanli reign (1573 - 1620). It is quite "heavily-potted", thickly glazed and decorated with a design sometimes referred to as the "split pagoda" pattern, in red, turquoise and black enamels. Around the centre design are eight motifs; four medallions in black and turquoise enamels and four seals in red enamel (that we have not had translated). The unglazed base has been fired to a deep red. Under magnification the small white circles to the base seem to be the remains of sea growths suggesting this dish had been recovered from the sea, although it also shows signs of wear and use.

Diameter 36 cm (14 inches). There is a crack and "fritting" to the glaze at the rim, also a small chip on the underside of the rim.

We show for information an almost identical example illustrated in the fine Museum Het Princessehof book "Swatow" by Barbara Harrisson (note theirs has a large section broken out and re-stuck).

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