Dish with flower and leaf designs

The artist who decorated this dish created the illusion that the flowers, tendrils, and leaves are spinning like a pinwheel. The work contrasts dark motifs with light backgrounds and vice versa.

In the century after the death of the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) in 1405, the Persian world saw a fashion for all things Chinese. Chinese ceramics had been imported for hundreds of years, and collections were owned by Persian aristocratic families. Now Persian potters in many manufacturing centers copied or drew inspiration from Chinese wares. The group to which this dish belongs takes many motifs from Chinese Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) and Ming dynasty (1368–1644) Cizhou wares.