This whiteware dish decorated with two fishes at the centre, has an unglazed interior rim.Dehua, a district in Fujian province, is the production centre for white porcelain, which is known to the Chinese as zhuyoubai (pork-grease white) or xiangyabai (ivory white), and to the Europeans, blanc de chine (white porcelain). As these names suggest, Dehua porcelain has a white body, consisting predominantly of porcelain stone (baidunzi) with minute amounts of clay. This porcelain, fired in long stepped kilns built on the hillsides, was produced as early as the 14th century. However, production and quality peaked in the 17th century. A variety of techniques, including press-moulding and slip-casting, were used to create a wide repertory of wares. This ranged from religious figurines to scholar’s objects and enamelled wares.
