Dish

The Portuguese overseas voyages have encouraged European orders for China's famous porcelain. This dish – in fine white porcelain decorated in various shades of blue (from strong blue to grayish blue) – is a good example of the Portuguese commissions. In it, the Chinese decorative elements were replaced by the coat of arms of the Albuquerque family. It has been assumed that Matias de Albuquerque, captain of Malacca and Hormuz (1584-1587) and viceroy of India (1591-1597), commissioned this plate. Recently, fragments of porcelain with similar characteristics have been found in archaeological excavations in Hormuz (Iran).