A blue and sancai-glazed 'floral' tripod dish, Tang dynasty | 唐 三彩加藍寶相花紋三足盤

The present dish combines decorative elements derived from contemporaneous textiles and metalwork. Margaret Medley notes that motifs like wax-resist dots, as seen on the rim and cavetto, developed out of Central Asian textile techniques such as tie-and-dye silks and fabrics with wax-stencilled resist designs, while the impressed flowerhead at the centre was inspired by chased silver (see Medley, T'ang Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1981, pp 40-41). The use of supplementary motifs, contrasting glaze colours, and multiple techniques allowed the potter a wide range of decorative possibilities. A similar dish is published in Spirit and Ritual: The Morse Collection of Ancient Chinese Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1982, cat. no. 54.