Large porcelain Hongwu dish

Large round porcelain Hongwu dish with small foot. The decoration, painted in underglaze cobalt blue monochrome, is organized in concentric registers. Blossoming chrysanthemums and foliage in the central medallion, separated from the border by double blue fillets. The border is decorated with lotus flowers in foliage. Stylized motifs of foaming waves form a frieze on the wing.

This dish illustrates the porcelain pieces produced during the reign of Emperor Hongwu (1368-1398) at the beginning of the Ming dynasty. This period marked a turning point in porcelain production, with the main kilns located at the Jingdezhen site, which became the Imperial Manufactory at this time. The decoration, formerly incised, is now painted on the piece covered with a monochrome white glaze. Cobalt oxide, a blue pigment from the Middle East, is used to design the decoration, whose ornamental repertoire is borrowed from nature. Floral motifs, palmettes and foliage thus become the preferred ornamental subjects in the decoration of the pieces. Several similar dishes were discovered in 1994 at the Dongmentou site in Zhushan, and are now on display at the Jingdezhen Institute of Ceramic Archeology.

Diameter: 39.5 cm

Provenance: Private collection, Belgium.

Chips on the wing.