Qilin are auspicious mythical beasts often depicted with the head of a dragon, the body of a deer (but scaled) and the hooves of a goat. Rarely depicted on ceramics before the 17th century, they became popular during the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor. Exotic creatures also captured the attention of Europeans, and many ceramics with qilins have been recovered from wrecks like the Nuestra Señora de la Maravillas, a Spanish treasure galleon carrying goods from China that sank near the Bahamas in 1656.
Four–character mark of yutang jiaqi.
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Dish
Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 ) / early–mid 14th century
