Dish with Gardenia

Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Date: late 16th century

Culture: China

Medium: Porcelain painted with cobalt blue under and colored enamel over transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware)

Dimensions: Diam. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)

Classification: Ceramics

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1919

Accession Number: 19.28.10

Description

Pomegranate, persimmon, grapes, and lotus surround the gardenia in the center of this dish. All of the flowers are auspicious: the gardenia symbolizes honor and happiness because its Chinese name, furong, is a homonym for these virtues.

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