Charger

Blue and white porcelain is the best-known and most admired type of Chinese ceramics. Recent archaeological discoveries have proven that blue and white wares developed in China at a much earlier date than previously known, with several examples dating to the late Tang dynasty (618-907). It was during the Yuan dynasty, however, that blue and white porcelain reached a high level of sophistication, in terms of both shape and decoration. In the Yuan dynasty, blue and white porcelain was made in Jingdezhen, a city in southeastern China that remains an important site of blue and white porcelain manufacture.

This large dish is decorated with a diamond-patterned geometric motif on the inner rim. A circular band bearing scrolling chrysanthemum flowers and leaves appears below the rim. The central medallion contains the primary decoration adorning this dish—a male and female duck amongst aquatic plants. Paid of ducks are a traditional symbol of marital fidelity in Chinese art, as ducks were thought to mate for life.

A Persian inscription on the exterior of the narrow, inverted foot ring reads “Shah Jahan ibn Jahang’r Shah” which indicates that the dish belonged to Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658), found the Taji Mahal, and bears a date corresponding to 1633-1644.