Dish with floral and fruit design, Ming dynasty, Hongzhi mark and period (1488-1505), Jingdezhen kilns, south China. Porcelain painted in cobalt blue, the white ground filled with yellow enamel. Diameter: 26 cm. C.320-1921 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Jingdezhen became the major ceramic-manufacturing centre. Imperial kilns were established to produce fine porcelain for the exclusive use of the emperors. The tradition of inscribing the emperor's reign title on the wares also started in the Ming. This dish with blue decoration on a yellow ground is typical of the Hongzhi reign period.