This shallow dish is covered with a grayish-blue glaze. Its central medallion has a sketchy decoration of a phoenix among bamboo and peony. Surrounding it on the inner walls are alternating sets of leaf-shaped medallions and three sets of narrow leaves.Zhangzhou wares such as this were commonly known as ‘Swatow ware’ due to the erroneous belief that the ware was shipped out from the port of Zhantou (Swatow). These wares were mainly made for export to Japan and Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, where Chinese ceramics were highly prized.
