Blue and White Dish with Two Lions and Brocade Balls, Middle Ming Dynasty

PP-0073

Description

A blue and white porcelain dish with rounded sides rising to a barbed, foliate rim. The centre, within a double ring, is painted with two lions playing among long, looping ribbons tied to brocade balls, one lion above and one below. Round the cavetto runs a band of linked arches hung with stylised cloud sprigs, and the rim carries a lattice border dotted in blue. The blue is an inky tone, darker where the brush has pooled.

The outside repeats the band of arches and cloud sprigs between blue lines. The base is unglazed, showing a buff to brownish body with concentric turning marks inside the foot ring, and there is no mark. More on the period is on our middle Ming dynasty page.