Fish Plates
Fish, representing abundance and regeneration, are a popular Chinese and Asian ceramic motif. Either moulded or incised, pairs of fish symbolising harmony, first appeared on Chinese ‘fish plates’ during the Song Dynasty (10th – 13th centuries).
Distinctive oval shaped fish motifs, painted with black iron oxide glazes and elegant brush strokes, embody the distinction of the Sukhothai kiln’s ceramics of Thailand (13th – 15th centuries). Interpretations of fish motifs increasingly became bolder when blue oxide glazes on white porcelain and stoneware dominated the international ceramic trade during the Ming Dynasty (14th – 17th centuries) and Ch’ing Dynasty (17th – 20th centuries). European and Japanese kilns reinterpreted the ‘fish plate’ during the 19th century. Today, the popularity of the ‘fish plate’ is evident in our continued use of mass-produced china featuring the leaping carp.
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Saucer with moulded pair of fish, lotus and checkerboard motif Late Song Dynasty 12th - 13th centuries Stoneware with qing'bai glaze Presumed Ching-te Chen kilns, Kiangsi Province, China IND 03047 |
Saucer with moulded pair of fish Yuan Dynasty 13th - 14th centuries Stoneware with green celadon glaze Longquan kilns, Zhejiang Province, China IND 01323 |
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| Dish with incised pair of fish Late Cham Dynasty 15th – 16th centuries Stoneware with olive green glaze Vietnam IND 01946 |
Dish with fish medallion and vegetal motif Sukhothai era 13th - 15th centuries Stoneware with black iron oxide underglaze Sukhothai kilns, Thailand IND 01672 |
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| Dish with fish motif Sukhothai era 13th - 15th centuries Stoneware with black iron oxide underglaze Sukhothai kilns, Thailand IND 01310 |
Dish with fish motif Late Ch'ing Dynasty 17th - 20th centuries Stoneware with blue oxide underglaze Presumed Fukien Province, China IND 02123 |
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| Dish with fish motif Late Ch'ing Dynasty 17th - 20th centuries Stoneware with blue oxide underglaze Presumed Fukien Province, China IND 02086 |
Plate with leaping carp motif and decorative stencil border 19th century Porcelain with blue oxide underglaze Arita, Japan IND 02860 |
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| Dish with catfish motif and floral borders with heraldic symbols Late 19th - early 20th centuries Stoneware and glaze Bell Potteries, Glasgow, Scotland IND 01538 |
Plate with leaping carp motif Late Ch'ing Dynasty 17th - 20th centuries Porcelain with blue oxide and red underglaze Presumed Fukien Province, China IND 02121 |
