Chinese Plate with Dragon Motif

A wavy border takes the spotlight while a stain claims the middle of a pale oval dish.

This plate with dragon motif is from China, and dates to the 20th century. It is marble. Marble vessels are carved by grinding a stone block into shape, then polishing, and this stone has been worked in China for architecture and for objects. Thin and creamy, the plate has a scalloped rim carved with dragon-like shapes in low relief. A small rectangular tab and a brown stain mark the shallow center, and the surface is slightly cloudy. It is 19 inches wide, 13.5 deep and 2.5 high.

The border is the real attraction, and it knows it.