Two Magpies on Peach Blossom Enamel Tray

Magpies are used in paintings to wish someone joy and happiness. A pair of magpies seen here is used to connote marital bliss with one magpie shown upside down meaning happiness is arriving. The birds are perched on a peach blossom tree which symbolises good luck.  Shape: Round, flat trayColour: Yellow and pinkDimensions: 30cm (diameter) x 3.0cm (depth)Year: 1965Quantity: Only 1 availableCondition: Used, minimal blemishes Background: Enamel products used to play an important role in the daily life of the Chinese people. For decades since the 1920s to the early 1980s enamel products were used by every household from wash basins to cups, lampshades, spitting pots, serving trays, pot and pans and even the humble rice bowl. They became the perfect instrument for spreading political propaganda such which gives some enamel products an obvious imprint of the times and historical period. Not all enamel products carried these messages, many simply using illustrations of flowers, birds, scenery