Chinese blue and white dish with spiral lotus decoration – Fujian, c.1800

A small Chinese blue and white dish with the characteristic spiral lotus decoration: a blue spiral at the centre, surrounded by outlined lotus petals with lingzhi fungi and sprigs, loosely painted with the brush. It is South Chinese provincial porcelain from Fujian, made for the South-East Asian market. This decoration is known from the shipwreck cargoes of the Diana (1817) and the Tek Sing (1822); this dish is of that type, but cannot be shown to come from a wreck. The dish shows clear signs of use and damage: two rim chips and two hairline cracks from the rim, a firing flaw/glaze pit in the centre and iron spots, normal for this type. No restorations seen. Priced according to condition.