Jiaqing Era, circa 1820 Enameled and painted en grisaille at the center with the three-masted merchant ship The Brillante flying a pennant with the initials MAS, below a band of blue enamel key fret in the well and another below the rim. 9 7/8 in. Diam. This is commonly considered one of the rarest and most important items of Chinese export from the early 19th century. A similar plate sold at Christie's New York in January 2021 for $30,000. https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/chinese-export-art-property-tibor-collection/rare-ship-plate-portuguese-market-13/111439?ldp_breadcrumb=back Literature: D. Howard & J. Ayers, China for the West: Chinese porcelain and other decorative arts for export, London, 1978, vol. I, p. 228, no. 227. The 'Brillante' was owned by Miguel Alves Sousa, a merchant based in Macao. The 'MAS' flag refers to the Sousa family. Probably this service was originally used on board the ship. A great granddaughter of Sousa sold the service in 1928 in Hong Kong.

Comments added on 2/21/23: Good condition, no breaks or repairs