Chinese export porcelain bowl, c. 1600.
 
Dimensions: Approximately 14” diameter x 3¼” deep.
 
Decoration:
The rim is divided into eight large segment floral sprays divided by eight smaller segments with a beaded design.
 
The center is decorated with the image of a bird with a descending tail on a branch among foliage.
 
The reverse is decorated with a single narrow band around the rim and bears traces of the coarse sand that typically adhered to the glaze of Zhangzhou ware during firing.
 
The central design is called “Standing Phoenix in a Garden”, and is described and discussed in Harrisson, “Swatow” at pp. 96 – 114. A similarly decorated saucer is illustrated and discussed in Jorge Welsh Books, “Zhangzhou Export Ceramics, The So-Called Swatow Wares” at pp. 72-74.
 
This type of Chinese porcelain was previously referred to by collectors and dealers as Swatow ware. This was based in the impression that it was exported from the port of Shantou (“Swatow” in Dutch records) in Western Guangdong province. Archaeological discoveries have shown that this ware was produced in and exported from Zhangzhou prefecture in neighboring Fujian province. Consequently, it now is referred to as Zhangzhou ware.
 
Zhangzhou ware was made only for export and was primarily exported to Southeast Asia including the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as to Japan and, to a much lesser degree, to Europe. It was produced from the last quarter of the 16th century through the first half of the 17th. 
 
Zhangzhou porcelain is courser than that produced at Jingdezhen, and the designs are freer and less refined.  Because each piece was rapidly and freely decorated, no two examples are exactly alike.
 
Zhangzhou porcelain pieces were typically rested in the kilns on coarse sand that adhered to the glaze on the base. They were decorated with underglaze blue, as in the case of this piece, monochrome or polychrome enamels, or a slip gaze. They were also produced in a limited number of shapes: mostly small plates and large dishes, bowls, covered boxes, and jars. 
 
References:
Adhyatman, “Zhangzhou (Swatow) Ceramics: Sixteenth to Seventeenth Centuries Found in Indonesia”.
Harrisson, “Swatow”.
Jorge Welsh Books, “Zhangzhou Export Ceramics, The So-Called Swatow Wares”.
Strober, “The Collection of Zhangzhou Ware at the Princessehof Museum”.
Tan, “Zhangzhou Ware Found in the Philippines: Swatow Export Ceramics from Fujian 16th-17th Century”.
 
Condition: Glaze flaws and roughness and minor glaze loss on the edge; otherwise in excellent condition consistent with age and usage. Please examine the photos; they are part of the description.
 
Please note, I do NOT issue partial refunds. If you believe that my description is not accurate, I will refund your purchase price upon receipt of the item in the same condition as it was sent under the terms of the return policy in this listing.
 
I also do not ship to post office boxes.
 
Please note: This is a large item to ship.