A Ming Blue and White Porcelain Shallow Dish, Hongzhi (1488-1505) or Zhengde (1506 - 1521), Jingdezhen Kilns, Jiangxi Province. This Ming porcelain dish is decorated with highly stylised flowers within circles, and flower-heads, all set against a diaper background. The back is painted with scrolling peony with six flowers. This Ming dish was made for export, part of the international maritime trade of the period, pieces like this have been found in Indonesia and the Philippines. The form of the dish is based on metal dishes of the near East. Examples of similar Ming blue and white porcelain dishes, from a shipwreck are published in : Lost at Sea, The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk (See References). The discovery of the Lena Shoal wreck, dated to c.1490, northeast of Palawan in the Philippines in February 1997 has shed light on historical trading patterns in south-east Asia. This work is a history and analysis of the late 15th century wreck and its cargo giving the background of Chinese trade at the time. franckgoddio.org