Porcelain, along with silk, paper, lacquer, jinger, rhubarb and tea had been export chinese products from the earliest times of the Silk Road. When the maritime Silk Route flourished in the 17th century, Europe started importing blue and white china from the Ming Dynasty through this route. After that, porcelain imports included a wide variety of styles and colors, some tailored to the European taste like this Famille Rose at the end of the 19th century produced exclusively for
the foreign market. This cup, plate and spoon were probably part of a bigger set. However, they still captivate with their designs of flowers and birds in medallions, their colorful butterflies and pastoral scenes with female and male figures in exterior architecture.