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Dish

Zhengde era, 1506-1521

China, Jiangxi Province

Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze yellow enamel (Jingdezhen ware)

H. 2 1/8 x Diam. 11 1/2 in. (5.4 x 29.2 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.181

The decoration of fruit and flowers found on this Zhengde-era dish recreates motifs, compositions, and a color scheme common in the early part of the 15th century. Five floral sprays embellish the interior of this bowl: a camellia in the center of the dish, and a cherry, pomegranate, peach, and litchi on the cavetto. These are painted in underglaze blue, while the yellow ground consists of an enamel pigment applied over the glaze. The large amount of space filled by the floral decoration and the style of the painting distinguish this early 16th-century work from its 15th-century predecessors. Here, the outlines of the flowers and leaves are not as precise, and the different hues are not as skillfully blended as in earlier works.