A boldly decorated Chinese export porcelain dish charger hand-painted in deep underglaze blue with two central figures, a kylin and an elephant, beneath a tree, surrounded within an outer border of swirling dragons alternating with roundels of  four of the eight trigrams of Bagua symbolism. The trigrams are symbolic of naturally occuring processes and inter-related basic principles of reality, balance and equilibrium. Each one can be associated with a particular family member, season, personality trait, direction or animal; the three represented on this charger stand for water, lake, heaven and fire.  The reverse with floral and foliate roundels around the rim border and centered with a calligraphic mark. Measuring 13 1/4″ in diameter and with a small chip to the foot rim and some pitting and grit to the glaze all typical of a piece of this early production. A fine early example, circa 1580.