Blue-and-white Plate with Maid Painting

Blue-and-white porcelain was introduced during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368AD) and has been in production ever since thanks to its bright colors, simple yet elegant patterns, and smooth glaze that never fades. Drawing the design with a cobalt pigment onto the stoneware body and painting over it with a transparent glaze creates the blue-white style, also known as "underglazed blue". It is a porcelain plate with a wide open mouth, cambered belly and ring foot, decorated with a maid sitting beside peonies and a Chinese poem. The maid, young and beautiful, wearing a jade bracelet on one hand and holding a fan in the other, is looking at the flowers which are in full bloom.