A large blue and white charger with shallow rounded sides and a flat rim, much of the design reserved in white on a deep blue ground. At the centre, a roundel is divided into eight segments, each with a flame turned towards the middle beneath a scroll of cloud. Four lobed panels of overlapping waves frame the roundel, alternating with four-petalled flowers on a ground of fine scrolling tendrils. Beyond them, eight lobed panels each hold a large open flower head among serrated leaves, and a band of crested waves runs round the rim.
The outside is painted with a band of upright panels, each with a trefoil and a dot, under a pale glaze with a green tint and fine crackle. The broad base is unglazed and shows spiral throwing marks. We attribute the charger to the Yuan dynasty.
Learn more: The Yuan Dynasty
