Large plate with straight sides and flat well

As exports of longquan wares to the Near East expanded from the fourteenth century onward, dishes with an increased diameter for serving food in the Islamic tradition were increasingly in demand. Incised lines were simplified for a looser composition. The method of enclosing the main motif in a lobed margin on the base was employed by many kilns during the Jin-Yuan era. The secondary patterns of wavy lines on the sides were a new decorative theme (Zhejiang Light Industry Bureau 1989: 61, fig. 1). The large flat base of this straight-sided plate rests on a short footring.