Description:
The pinkish body of this Swatow dish with rounded sides and a narrow, everted rim is decorated on the interior with a central medallion showing the split-pagoda design: a river landscape with a boat; a human figure on a bridge approaching a pagoda, split by a channel from a temple complex in the foreground to forested and peaked mountains in the distance. The sides with four ornamental seals separated by four thorn-set cartouches comprising small landscapes with a human figure holding a parasol, or river scenes. The base is sunken, partially glazed and unmarked with kiln grit embedded in the glaze. There are several explanations regarding the origin of this peculiar design. One holds that the channel represents the split gateway as seen at Balinese pagodas, the other that the design is based on a map, perhaps of Jingdezhen. This plate is a typical example of polychrome Swatow, where decoration is done in bold overglaze green and black is used for the finer detail and outlining.