Vietnamese ceramics from the late 13th through to the mid-17th century display a close affinity to Chinese wares both in the repertoire of shapes, and in the designs. Yet they are refreshing variations rather than slavish provincial copies. It is particularly in the designs of the large underglazed blue decorated dishes that the Vietnamese demonstrate their unique response to the world. This large dish with its rare and unusual design typifies the originality brought to bear by the Vietnamese painter, while also displaying a predifiction for naturalism rarely encountered in the more formalised Chinese designs.