Plate of Blue and White Porcelain
Location
Dating 13th-14th cent.
Epoch Mongolian empire
Material Kaolin clay
Technique Burnt
Description
Qinghua porcelain. A large plate with plant and bird motifs, the edge of one side is chipped. On a white background, patterns of various plants and animals are painted in dark blue. On the inside of the plate, there is a walking stork in the middle, with a large flower below it; geese and ducks are depicted swimming in the water on the left and right sides; various flowers and leaves are depicted on the other side parts. At the inner bottom edge of the plate, four thin lines are drawn around this central part, and above that the flower and leaf pattern that adorns the wall of the bowl continues, ending with a single thin line along the edge. The outer wall of the plate is decorated on the inside with patterns such as clouds and lotus petals. The bottom of the plate is unglazed and there is no stamp.
Based on the shape, size, manufacturing method and painting features of this porcelain, it is clear that it is blue-and-white porcelain from the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty of the 13th-14th century. On a white-blue background, the figures of flowers and leafy plants, flying geese, walking storks, etc. are drawn with fine lines throughout. The edge of the porcelain is surrounded by parallel straight lines, and the lower wall is surrounded by a lotus petal-like figure with a round-eyed cloud pattern in the centre, which was widely used in porcelain painting at the time. Furthermore, the bowl is large, heavy and thick, and judging from the reddish colour of the soil in the cracked area, it shows the unique characteristics of the pattern and colour combination of the blue-glazed porcelain from the Yuan period.