Plate with bundle of hidden lotuses

Rounded rims and fluid side walls were standardized shapes by the time that the Ming dynasty jingdezhen imperial factory began production. While bundles of lotus designs placed on the interior bottom of plates flourished during the early Ming, they were more often employed on underglaze-blue or red types. The unglazed base bears reddish passages, another striking trait of early Ming wares caused by both the iron-content of the clay and the material that supported the wares during firing. Works with glazed bases sometimes also bear a reddish color around the unglazed foot edges.