This magnificent famille verte plate is decorated with a depiction of a bird of paradise on a branch, surrounded by three birds. 

 

Birds of paradise have been a status symbol in China for over two-thousand years. The first birds of paradise that reached Europe in the 16th century were stuffed animals. These birds, that were prepared by Papuas, had no legs or wings. This induced the myth in Europe that these birds were perpetually flying, never sat down on a branch and solely survived on the dew in the air. The myth that these birds were flying in paradise gave them their name. It took another 150 years before the first birds of paradise arrived in Europe in one piece.