A blue and white charger with rounded sides and a flat rim. A double-line circle in the centre encloses two long-tailed birds standing on rocks, facing each other beneath bamboo, a fruiting grapevine with curling tendrils, flowering plants and small butterflies. The sides are painted with a continuous scroll of peony blossoms and leaves, and the rim with a diaper border of small four-petalled flowers.
The outside carries a band of upright panels, each enclosing a cloud cluster and a small circle, under a grey-white glaze with fine crackle. The broad base is unglazed and shows the spiralling marks of throwing, the clay fired to a warm buff. We attribute the charger to the early Ming dynasty.
Learn more: The Ming Dynasty
