This lotus leaf dish holds a crab with water weeds, a Chinese symbol for passing the civil service examinations. It was used as a water dish for the scholar’s table, where water would be ladled out from it onto the inkstone.The creamy white glaze on the piece marks it as a product of the well-known Dehua kilns in Fujian province. Known as blanc de chine in the West, Dehua white wares were exported all over the world during the Qing dynasty. This water dish, however, was most likely made for the domestic market.
