The top surface of this box is decorated with a chrysanthemum spray while the sides are painted with panels of stylised plants alternating with geometric patterns. This panelled style of decoration is widely seen on Vietnamese ceramic boxes produced in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The development of Vietnamese blue and white ceramics was spurred by the Chinese occupation of north Vietnam from 1407 to 1428 and the decline of Chinese porcelain exports during the fifteenth century. Vietnamese potters were quick to capitalise on the gap and became prolific producers of blue and white wares, which they exported to overseas consumers in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
