Saucer

The saucer is complete. It is circular in shape. The wall is flared at the top, and the top of the rim is corrugated. The wall curves at the base towards the sock, which is slightly domed. It rests on a ring-shaped foot. The underside of the base is recessed and flat. There is a mark printed in blue below the bottom: it consists of a square made of two lines, and contains symbols. There are a few flaws in the inner glaze, which appears to be slightly dull; the decoration is painted on the glaze and applied by underglaze printing (Transfer printed); the painted decoration is gilded and the printed decoration is blue with an oriental motif (Two Temples). The printed decoration is visible below the inner edge and on the inner background. The decoration under the inner rim consists of a complex frieze made up of five different motifs, some of which are repeated alternately. Below the rim is a braid made of a strand of small pearls in reserve, with a core. This is followed by a band composed of two alternating motifs, separated by a full band in dark blue with a half-pearl in reserve; it is bordered at its base by a latticework with central crosses and itself bordered by a scroll. One of the main motifs is a latticework with central crosses; it is bordered by an acanthus leaf and features a central Chinese motif, the solid Ju-i with a small core in reserve. This trellis supports two mirrored Greciques, bordered by a scroll and a cluster of pearls. The other motif features a hexagonal rhombus background with a core, bordered by a dark-blue volute, cut at the edge into two half-flowers to accommodate a butterfly with outstretched wings. The butterfly is encircled by two areas with a fish-scale motif and closed by scrolls. The background features an oriental scene of islands, two of which are linked by a bridge spanning a river. On one of the islands, in the foreground, stand two tiered temples with dark-blue roofs, each with an entrance and staircase; in one of them stands a figure. These temples are surrounded by trees, and tiered rocks lie on the shore. At the rear of the temples is a wall with three sections intersecting at right angles; one section has two open square windows, while the other has a rectangular window closed by two stars. The island borders a river on the right, spanned by a single-arched stone bridge, seen in profile, on which two bald figures stand, following each other. Behind the bridge, the temple island is enclosed by a fence with two compartments and a post; the compartments are decorated with a central rectangle. The bridge leads to another island lined with rocks and trees, including a willow tree. In the foreground, a fence crosses the river, with compartments intersecting at an angle and decorated with swastikas. In the background is a large island with pavilions, tiered pagoda, trees and rocks. The frieze junction below the inner edge is barely visible.