Delft – Wanli style dish, late 17th century

Fine Delftware dish painted in cobalt blue on tin-glazed faience, featuring central vases filled with blossoming branches, accompanied by a bird and insects. The border is divided into eight large panels alternating with smaller panels: four of the large panels depict flowers, while the remaining four display Chinese symbols of good fortune, executed in the delicate Wanli ‘Kraak’ style.

While the dish’s form and decoration closely resemble Chinese Ming porcelain, it is made of earthenware. Chinese porcelain was highly prized in the Netherlands, and when production in China temporarily ceased due to civil unrest, Delft potters began producing earthenware in the style of Chinese porcelain. This dish exemplifies the Dutch adaptation of Oriental motifs, reflecting both aesthetic appreciation and technical ingenuity in late 17th-century Delftware inspired by Ming porcelain.

Condition: Good overall for its age, with the entire outer rim showing wear and loss of glaze

Size:
35 cm diameter (13.8 inches)