Ming Dynasty Swatow Ware Porcelain Dish

Late Ming Dynasty, c. 1630 AD, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, China

An absolutely gorgeous large blue and white Swatow (Zhangzhou) ware dish, boldly painted in a soft grayish-blue palette with traditional motifs. The center features a stylized “Fu” (福) character symbolizing good fortune, encircled by a characteristic biscuited brown band. The reverse is adorned with four concentric rings painted in underglaze blue.

Produced in the coastal kilns of Zhangzhou, particularly in Pinghe County, Swatow ware represents one of the most distinctive export porcelains of the late Ming period. Important kiln sites include Da Long and Er Long in Wuzhai, and Huazai Lou in Nansheng. Archaeological evidence suggests production between c. 1575–1650, reaching its peak around 1620.

Swatow ware is known for its rustic charm—coarsely potted, under-fired, and often bearing kiln grit on the glaze foot, evidence of the small-scale, unrefined production methods used in contrast to the industrial precision of Jingdezhen. Pieces were typically wheel-thrown and sometimes mold-formed, with decoration executed in freehand underglaze cobalt blue, producing designs of spontaneous, expressive vitality.

Excellent condition. Wear commensurate with age and use. Glazing defects and firing flaws. Minimal hairline fracture. Footring has kiln grits. Size approx. 28,0cm x 28,0cm x 6,0cm.

Provenance: Swedish private collection

References and further reading:

The Ceramic Trade Across the South China Sea c. AD 1350-1650, Barbara Harrisson, Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 76, No. 1, 2003, pp. 99-114.

Swatow, Barbara Harrisson, Publisher: Museum het Princessehof, Leeuwarden, 1979.

The Wares of the Transitional Period between the Ming and the Ch'Ing 1620-1683, Soame Jenyns, Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America, Published By: Duke University Press, Vol. 9, 1955, pp. 20-42.

Zhangzhou (Swatow) Ceramics. Sixteenth to Seventeenth Centuries Found In Indonesia, Sumarah Adhyatman, Publisher: The Ceramic Society of Indonesia, 1999.