The center is decorated in rich tones of cobalt blue.The border has four open-worked, ‘devils-work’ panels and there are four painted panels of flowering plants. This can be referred to as `reticulated` porcelain, reticulated meaning having the form or appearance of a net. The Chinese term for the technique of creating an openwork design by piercing the walls is ’ling long’. Père Francois Xavier d’Entrecolles (1664-1741) used the term reticulated in the 18th century to describe porcelain that had the appearance of a net. An alternative term for this type of porcelain is ’Devils Work’. The clay would have been cut by hand when it was ’leather hard’. Great skill was required both in cutting the designs and firing the clay.