This dish is an example of Nonyaware, which are overglaze polychrome enamelled porcelains possibly imported from the kilns of Jindezhen in China for Straits Chinese customers. It has gilt edged chrysanthemum rims and sloping sides. It is decorated with motifs of the Flowers of the Four Seasons which include the peony symbolising spring, the lotus symbolising summer, the chrysanthemum representing autumn and the plum blossom representing winter. Peonies are also symbols of wealth, love and beauty. There is also a motif of a cricket, which is an emblem of courage and symbol of summer. These motifs are surrounded by a green border decorated with motifs of the lotus flower that are interspersed with decorations of trailing ribbons. This piece of enamelled porcelain could have been part of the elaborate “tok panjang” dinner service which refers to dining at home on special occasions such as the 60th birthday celebrations. Such a feast could comprise several hundred to several thousand pieces of Nonyaware.
