An antique Chinese Canton export porcelain tableware set. Late Qing dynasty, before 1912. A total of 6 items, two cups, two saucers, two dessert plates. Hand-painted Famille rose decoration, Hundred Butterflies pattern with gilding. Exceptional quality and remarkable good condition. Museum inventory labels attached to the bottom of each piece. Provenance: Rhode Island private collection, acquired before 1960. Cantonese porcelain is the characteristic style of ceramic ware decorated in Guangzhou, the major port for export of Chinese goods to Europe. The butterlfly and bird is a symbol for a young man approaching the woman he loves. As the Chinese word for bird is a homophone with the word for the age of seventy or eighty, the decoration could be read as May you enjoy love and sexual pleasures until old age. Collectible Oriental Asian Porcelain Ware, Tableware And Tea Service.