Square dish

Square-shaped shallow bowls were common in blue-and-white and overglaze polychrome decorated types during the Jiajing period. This piece has four-folded corners and an unglazed rim that was intended to be colored later.. The main design motif, a conventional dragon playing with a pearl, on the interior bottom is boldly and swiftly drawn. It is bordered by a floral band on the rim. The dragon on each of the four sides on the exterior of the dish is accompanied by a phoenix in each corner. The inscription is written in a powerful, sophisticated manner.