The oval dish with an openwork reticulated rim with two bands of underglaze blue surround a central design painted in the central well with a scene of a folly fort on the River Pearl near Canton. The folly fort is depicted in great detail. Around it are several Chinese boats and ships. In the background is another island with buildings and trees.

The Folly forts were a series of defensive forts setup by the Chinese in the Ming Period and used to protect Canton. By the 18th century with advances in cannonary the forts were no longer needed and had fallen in decay. Several European countries including the French and Dutch used them for storage and as bases for their sailors.

Circa 1780.