Chinese Ceramic Bowl

A pale glazed dish with a rust-orange target painted in the middle.

This glazed pottery bowl is from China, and dates to the 20th century. A glaze is a thin glassy coating fired onto the clay, and it makes the surface smooth, waterproof and easier to clean. A broad, shallow plate with a creamy, pale glaze and a flared, rust-speckled rim. In the center, concentric rings of orange and olive green surround a bare cream circle. The glaze has small crackles and worn patches. It is 5 inches wide, 5 deep and 1 high.

A bullseye of a plate, and it hits.