Dish, early 15th century, Ming dynasty. Probably Yongle reign. Porcelain with cobalt under transparent colorless glaze. H: 9.5 W: 68.0 D: 68.0 cm, Jingdezhen, China. Purchase F1961.14. Freer/Sackler© 2014 Smithsonian Institution
The viewer of this exceptionally large dish seems to stand within a spacious garden. An ornamental rock serves as the focal point, and plants bloom lushly on the near and far sides of a small pond or stream. The garden represents all seasons: spring primrose and narcissus join autumn cockscomb. Eight sprays of flowers and fruit circle the rim, while pine, flowering plum, and bamboo— the Three Friends of Winter —ring the outside of the dish. The landscape's similarity to those in paintings made for the court indicates that court painters sometimes provided designs for Jingdezhen decorators.