This white-ground dish is an example of Nonyaware, which comprises overglazed polychrome, enamelled porcelains possibly imported from the kilns of Jindezhen in China for Straits Chinese customers. It has a gilt edged rim and is decorated with several motifs. The mythical phoenix amongst peony flowers, surrounded by the Eight Buddhist Emblems, was a popular design. A Peranakan dinner service can total many hundreds of pieces, with about eight different types of vessel shapes and sizes, including dessert ware. Large quantities of this kind of porcelain were made for export to Southeast Asia. Only the wealthiest Peranakan families could afford to place orders for large sets of matching porcelain for celebratory feasts. These impressive displays were laid out on the 'tok panjang' (literally ‘long table’) that was the formal dining table for special occasions.
