FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

The inscription has been translated Nawab Siraj Al-Muna Bahadur, as the initials describe; the date reads 1266, equating to approximately 1850 AD; the numerals on the back 132 (meaning unclear.) An identical motif is found on a plate with plain blue enamel and gilt borders in the collection of the Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin (illustrated by C.C. Brawer in Chinese Export Art, the University of Wisconsin, 1992). Howard & Ayers (op. cit., pp. 477-483) illustrate a number of Canton famille rose pieces with Persian or Arabic inscriptions from the Mottahedeh and Afnan collections. It seems clear that local Middle Eastern and Indian rulers had relationships with British East India Co. officials that resulted in porcelain orders.