This blue and white dish with an underglaze blue decoration depicts a male and female figure in a garden setting. The dish bears a six charcater reign mark of Chenghua on the reverse. The reign mark of Chenghua indicates a sign of Emperor Kangxi's appreciation of fine Chenghua porcelain as well as the high standards of Chinese porcelain set by the Ming emperor Chenghua.The figurative scene on the dish might have been inspired by a woodblock illustration of a scene from Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiangji), one of the most popular dramas in Chinese literature. Scenes from this drama were used as subjects for decorating porcelain objects. Narrative themes characterised much of porcelain decoration during the Transistional period (1620-1683)
