East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 1368 to 1664 CE. A beautiful blue and white porcelain plate decorated with a pair of stylized bird forms beneath floral blossoms on the tondo, and an extensive program of floral tendril motifs on the underside. During the Ming Dynasty, a technical advance consisting of adding manganese to prevent 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 that were carrying thousands of examples of Ming porcelain. This act inspired the craze for porcelain throughout Europe. The pieces were sold at such high prices that they were dubbed "white gold"! Size: 5.25" in diameter x 1.125" H (13.3 cm x 2.9 cm)

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection acquired before 2000

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#131746

Old C.Y. Tse Antiques & Collectibles label on the underside of the base with "Ming" handwritten in the center. Minor surface wear with a mark on the tondo from a spacer in the kiln. A few tiny nicks on the base.