This bowl is an example of Peranakan Chinese porcelain or Nyonya ware made from overglaze polychrome porcelain. It carries the reign mark “Xuantong nian zhi” with the Chinese characters for one at the centre. This suggests that it could have been manufactured during the reign of Emperor Puyi from 1908 to 1911. The piece has everted gilt edged chrysanthemum shaped rims. The decorative motifs on this piece consist of sprays of large red peony blossoms and a brilliantly coloured phoenix in flight. The peony is a symbol of spring, love, beauty and good fortune, while the phoenix represents beauty, grace, high virtue, the bride and the Empress. These motifs are set against a bright yellow background, which is considered an auspicious colour by the Peranakan Chinese. The rim has a border pattern consisting of symbols from the Eight auspicious Buddhist Emblems such as the pair of Golden Fish. These are interspersed with designs of trailing ribbons and painted against a rose pink background.
