Blue-and-White dish, porcelain; decorated in a deep blue in the center with a large peahen flying amongst peonies, the cavetto molded with a band of peonies in white in a blue ground, the rim with a border of stylized waves and a molded foliated edge; the reverse has a typical wide unglazed base with a short foot ring and the exterior is decorated with a band of scrolling lotus

Dish, 14th century

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As seen in works throughout this gallery, the Mongol conquest of Central and West Asia in the 1200’s created a bilateral exchange between the Islamic world and China which would become embedded in a range of aesthetic traditions, from painting to ceramics. Ottoman sultans were famous for collecting Chinese blue-and-white porcelains, exemplified by this impressive dish produced in the great Chinese ceramic town of Jingdezhen, likely for the Ottoman market. A Middle Eastern merchant who lived in China at this time would have understood the tastes of the Islamic market, thus commissioning a dish with dense, all-over cobalt-blue decoration, and included motifs such as the peacock, which was not in keeping with Chinese traditions at the time. Furthermore, the scale of this large dish would have been more suitable for Islamic feasting traditions.

Details
Title
Dish
Role
Artist
Accession Number
87.62
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Blue-and-White dish, porcelain; decorated in a deep blue in the center with a large peahen flying amongst peonies, the cavetto molded with a band of peonies in white in a blue ground, the rim with a border of stylized waves and a molded foliated edge; the reverse has a typical wide unglazed base with a short foot ring and the exterior is decorated with a band of scrolling lotus