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Dish, saucer-shaped with rounded sides, an undercut foot and a glazed base. In the centre on the interior a scaled qilin among flames and clouds with plants in the foreground and leaves of a banana tree on the left. Around the well and on the exterior a stylized peony scroll.
The dish shows a mythological animal, the qilin, running joyously in a landscape, looking over its shoulder, its muzzle open. This beast is described as having a dragons head and scaly body, a lions tail and the hooves of an ox. It is generally regarded as a wise and benevolent animal and is a symbol of long life, wealth and numerous offspring. According to legend qilins only show themselves when the land is governed by a sage. Apparently the first giraffe to set foot on China's soil after having been transported by admiral Zheng He from Africa, was thought to be a qilin. In the well the peony flowers are sketchily painted amidst a dense load of leaves, a characteristic of Hongzhi period porcelains made in min yao kilns. A very similar dish is in the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hongkong
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