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Dish of saucer shape with bracket-lobed rim, the glazed base with kiln grit. On the interior, in a central medallion in underglaze blue, two mating phoenixes amidst rocks, bamboo, peonies and flying insects. On the well in underglaze blue, and red, green, turquoise and black enamels, a border of egrets in a lotus pond and a border of cloud-shaped medallions reserved against scrolling lotus below the rim. The reverse with ribboned emblems alternating with peach sprays.
This is a most unusual and rare dish. The central design of one or two phoenixes is found on Jingdezhen dishes of the Jiajing period (1522-1566). Borders of egrets in a lotus pond appear on later 16th century Jingdezhen wares related to Kraak. The scrolling lotus border is related to the border of the dish above (GRV 1929-40). Roundels or cloud-shaped medallions prominently painted in red are part of the decorative repertoire on Swatow wares. Although underglaze blue and polychrome wares were made at the same time as excavations in the Huazilou kiln in Nancheng, Pinghe county have shown, no shards with the two combined have thus far been found. Nor have objects in other known collections been discovered. Further research is needed. It might be possible that the dish was decorated at a later date with polychrome enamels.
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