Fantastic piece of art. The outside of the cavetto is molded t The dish is decorated with a scene containing two deer, a large Pine, clouds and a bird.
Like many wares made for the Japanese market in this period, the world depicted in the center of the dish is turned upside down; the dark deer which follows the spotted deer walks on an almost vertical ground plane, and the pine leans over both deer. A wispy but turbulent cloud hovers over the pine, and half the sun is obscured by the single blue line that frames the scene. The form and painting of the pine is also typical of the period; the tree has a twisted trunk, two writhing branches, and needles depicted in clumps of short dark lines covered with a medium blue wash.

Both the pine and the deer are symbols of longevity; the word for "deer" in Chinese, lu, is also a homophone for the word meaning "emolument" the salary paid to an official, and thus its representation implies a wish for prosperity

As on many wares of this period made for the Japanese market, kiln grit adheres to the bottom of the dish.

An identical dish is in the Butler collection and pictured in the book: Trade Taste & Transfortmation Jingdezhen porcelain for Japan - Julia B Curtis.

Some call it Kosometsuke, others Kraak porcelain. Its all around the same period and doesnt really matter for the beauty of the porcelain.

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