Platter

14th-15th century

China, Zhejiang Province

Stoneware with impressed design under glaze (Longquan ware)

H. 3 1/2 x Diam. 16 1/2 in. (8.9 x 41.9 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.148

Although most wares produced at the Longquan kilns in Zhejiang Province were intended for domestic use, the large size of this platter indicates that it was made for export, probably to Southeast Asia, Iran, or Turkey, where such pieces were in demand as food servers. Although the platter itself was exported, the design incised into the platter may have been imported. When the Chinese were converted to Buddhism and adopted Central Asian Buddhist imagery, they borrowed ornamental patterns at the same time. This particular design, for example, had wide use in later times, but there is no evidence of its use in China before the introduction of Buddhism.