PLATE

This piece, found in Jambi, Sumatra, is one of the rarest Chinese blue and white porcelain plates. Exquisitely applied brush strokes of a cobalt glaze, combined with high temperature firing techniques, have made it an almost perfect specimen. The grape motif, as a decorative element, shows western (Hellenistic) influence, while the foliated rim was most likely impacted by designs associated with silver craft techniques of the Islamic tradition.