**First Time At Auction**

East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 1368 to 1664 CE. A beautiful blue-on-white porcelain plate decorated with a writhing dragon amidst clouds or plumes of fiery smoke on the tondo, the underside of the rim adorned by a flying dragon with atmospheric details in the field. During the Ming Dynasty, a technical advance consisting of adding manganese to prevent the cobalt from blurring during firing made it possible to create more vivid design programs on pottery. Hence, such wares from the Ming Dynasty have come to represent the acme of beautiful blue and white porcelain, the likes of which inspired the adoration of porcelain throughout Europe. According to historical records, Westerners learned of such impressive porcelain in about 1603 after a group of Dutch people captured Portuguese cargo ships carrying thousands of examples of Ming porcelain. This act inspired the craze for porcelain throughout Europe. Pieces were sold at such high prices that they were dubbed "white gold"! Size: 11.75" in diameter x 2.25" H (29.8 cm x 5.7 cm)

Provenance: ex private Ventura County, California, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#129173

Just a few minor spalls to the glaze that occurred during the firing process. Otherwise excellent.