A beautiful antique Chinese blue & white porcelain shallow bowl. Wonderful soft colours and simply eye candy. The hand-painted decoration features a blue and white design, depicting floral motifs with a stylized character in the center.
Also known as "Swatow" ware, this specific type of porcelain originates from the Zhangzhou prefecture in the Fujian province of China. These items were primarily made for export to Southeast Asia and Japan, rather than for the domestic Chinese market.
Some crazing. Wonderful patina. These were originally produced in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and carried into the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) I'm not an expert on this sort of ware but would date it to circa 1700's, possibly early 1800's. Measures 10.5" w x 2 1/4" h.
