This blue and white dish is unique in the sense that it has decorations in the central medallion which includes distinctively Western motifs. There is a large sunflower in a vase in the center, beside it are lattice fences and above it are fluttering butterflies. This dish was acquired in the Philippines and was used as a utility ware. Such export wares were produced in the kilns of Fujian province in South China. After the ban on overseas trade was lifted in 1567 during the Ming dynasty, export wares were produced in large quantities in Southern Chinese kiln mainly for the Southeast Asia market. They were of high demand especially in Indonesia and the Philippines.
