This dish is of the type known as Kraak ware, which was mostly decorated in blue and white and with motifs divided into panels. This large dish features a central motif of two seated Persian ladies of the Safavid period. The designs on the border consist of scenes of a Chinese farmer at work, a scholar reading in his hut and a man on his boat, alternating with panels of flowers and fruits. In Europe, this large dish would have served as a receptacle for water while in West Asia it would have been a dish used for communal dining. Kraak porcelain were extremely popular in Europe as it was versatile in combining Chinese and non-Chinese motifs and was available is different vessel forms. Even when production in China decreased around the mid 17th century, its popularity never waned, and imitations continued to be made in Japan, England and other parts of the world.
