Chinese blue and white dish with lotus scrolls and Jiaqing seal mark

A refined Chinese blue and white dish with a continuous decoration of lotus scrolls: four stylised lotus flowers and a radiant flower in the centre, surrounded by graceful scrolling tendrils. The bright cobalt sits on a glossy, pale bluish-white glaze. On the base a six-character Jiaqing seal mark (嘉慶) in underglaze blue; the mark is apocryphal (not from the Jiaqing period itself), as is customary on late Qing porcelain from the second half of the 19th century. The lotus scroll decoration is a classic motif from Chinese imperial porcelain, here painted in a fresh and precise manner. Because of the damage, this is an affordable way to own a fine piece of late Qing porcelain. Lovely as a study piece, in a display cabinet or in a wall arrangement with other blue and white; suits a classic or eclectic interior. Condition: A V-shaped rim chip with small frits next to it and a larger chip on the reverse, with a 2–3 cm hairline crack running from it. A small rust-brown spot with a grey bleed near the rim, probably a firing flaw with dirt in the glaze. Small frits and discolouration on the right-hand rim and a few iron specks, normal for the period. No restorations seen.