Dish, porcelain painted in underglaze blue with lotus and peony scrolls, China, Yuan dynasty, mid 14th century. Diameter: 45.7 cm, Height: 8.3 cm. 786-1894.  © V&A Images.

Porcelain dish with foliated rim. On the inside, it is painted in underglaze blue with lotus blossoms in a central medallion, surrounded by a broad band of peony scrolls. The rim is decorated with see waves. On the outside is another band of peony scrolls.

After 1300, Chinese potters at Jingdezhen began to decorate the local white porcelain in cobalt blue. They perfected the painting technique, so that the blue did not run during firing. Smaller items have Chinese shapes and may have been made for the home market. But large dishes such as this one were made for export back to the Middle East, where the cobalt for the blue had come from.

Bibliographic References: Garner, Harry Mason, Sir. Oriental blue and white. London: Faber and Faber, 1954, pp. 12, 17 & 18. 
Ayers, John. 'Early Ming Taste in Porcelain'. In Victoria and Albert Museum bulletin. Vol II. 1, January 1966, p.25, fig. 3. 
Watson, W. L'art de L'antique chine. Paris: mazenod, 1979, fig. 662.