Foliated Platter (Pan) with the Eight Buddhist Symbols (Bajixiang), Flowers, and Waves, late Yuan dynasty, circa 1340-1368

Ceramic; Porcelain, Molded porcelain with blue painted decoration under clear glaze, Height: 2 1/4 in. (5.9 cm); Diameter: 17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm); Gift of the Francis E. Fowler, Jr., Foundation and the Los Angeles County Fund (55.40). LACMA

This porcelain platter is so fresh, you may easily imagine that it was made recently - in fact it dates from the fourteenth century. In the center is a circle divided into eight sections, each one containing a Buddhist symbol. The easiest to recognize is a conch shell, but the others are a bit more stylized. There is an eternal knot, the wheel-of-the-law, the lotus, a furled umbrella, also a canopy, a water vase, and finally a pair of fish.

The brilliant blue designs of this platter were painted with the mineral cobalt. Cobalt was first imported from Persia – present day Iran – not long before this platter was made, and it transformed porcelain production in China. The exceptional quality of the brilliant blue and white Chinese porcelain attracted attention abroad, and led to a growing market for exports.