Plate - Porcelain - Wanli Deer Plate

Chinese porcelain plate with a contoured edge from the Wanli Period (1573-1619), 16th century, Ming Dynasty.
The plate is decorated in underglaze blue with deer in a forest landscape and a rim with a decoration of ducks or geese in a riverscape. The outer side of the rim is decorated with a delicate scene of prunus branches and birds.

Symbolism
Deer – Lu – symbolize long life and are also the symbol of honor and success in scholarship.
Prunus – Symbol of winter, corresponding to the month of January. One of the “Three Friends of Winter.” Emblem of beauty, purity, and a long life, because it is believed that Laozi was born beneath its branches.

Dimensions:
20.6 x 3 cm

Condition:
3 small hairlines on the rim, 2 flea bites (see photos)