Porcelain Plaque

[Maura]

Hello Gentlemen,

My plaque is 28 1/2 cm wide and 20 cm at the highest. I think it is porcelain painted on metal, I hope it falls into your area of discussions. I bought the picture on eBay 5 years ago because its wonderful but know nothing other then that. 

Thank you,
Maureen

[Mat]

Hi, I do not think it is porcelain, rather enamel on copper, and Chinese. This kind of ware is called "Canton enamel", I think. I do not know how old it is...
Mat

[Maura]

Hi Mat,
I'm sure your right now searching Canton enamel there are a few similar, I hope to find a site like yours that will tell me the age.
Thank you so much for your expertise in assisting us to find information.
Maureen

[Stan]

Hi Maura, the Chinese are very superstitious and would not have 4 bats, it would be either 1, 3, or 5 or sets of 5 bats and that represents good fortune or good luck, from what I understand from Peter, bats are auspicious and that 4 bats represents death, and not good fortune, I have a pair of brass enameled vases and the bats are drawn the same way and same colors, on my vase there are sets of six bats, I think your tray is the same age as my vases 2nd half of the 20th century is what I have been told on my vases.

[peterp]

Hi Stan, it is not that 4 bats represent death, I mean it is not the bats themselves but rather the number "4" that represents it.
The sound of the number 4 is similar to the sound of "death", both in Chinese and Japanese. For example, If you are flying on an airplane to or from the Far East you will find that rows numbered 4 are missing (the same way as 13 is missing, obviouslysuperstition is no t limited to the orient).    :-)
Articles like chairs or cups often are offered in numbers avoiding 4.

[Stan]

Thanks Peter for the better explanation, your right superstition runs in all cultures, I did not mean to direct superstition to just the Chinese.

[Maura]

Hello Peter and Stan, I came back to your site to refresh my memory and surprised to see further discussion. You would be shocked that I didn't realize those were bats painted on the border until you pointed it out. Thank you for enlightening me... hopefully even teaching me to be more observant. Also the time frame based on your vases. Maureen