We realize that there have been later copies, even into the 20th century, of Canton enamel pieces. However, the quality of the painting on these do give us a strong belief that they are both mark and period 18th century pieces. They are in excellent condition with only a few tiny rim frits and a couple of very small areas where the enamel has worn through. To be conservative, we will date them to the early 19th to the early 20th century, Qing dynasty. The plates measure 8 ¾” diameter and are ¾” high at the rim.

A metal object, usually copper but sometimes silver or gold, is covered with a background layer of enamel (often white), is fired, and then is painted with colored enamels much as are porcelains. The earliest examples of Canton enamel date back to approximately 1740. Canton enamel pieces produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are highly prized.

Canton enamel is named for the city where it was first manufactured. Canton is located in southern China in the province of Guandong. While the Chinese had used enamels to paint artistic scenes on stoneware for centuries, Canton enamel was a new technique whereby painted enamels were painted onto the whole surface of copper, ceramics, and other earthenware pieces. The technique was developed in Limoges, France in the seventeenth century. It has been reported that this technique was brought to China in the late seventeenth century by French missionaries. This is reflected in the translation of the Chinese term for painted enamels, “foreign porcelain.” also became known as " Canton (or Guangzhou ) ware" or " Canton enamel".

Painted enamels were developed by the Qing emperors. Painted enamel of Qing dynasty embodied traditional Chinese aesthetic concepts. The ornament of the dish with reserves, lappets and flower is a fine example. The emperor Qianlong incessantly recruited enamel artisans from Canton to produce painted enamel works in the palace, but also required considerable assistance from private workshops in Canton.