Foliated dish with bird, deer, wasps, and monkey

This Ming dynasty dish shows a monkey riding on a deer and a bird sitting on a branch; above the bird is a wasps' nest with wasps flying around it: all elements of a cleverly assembled rebus for high rank and official salary.

"Bird" (que) is a pun for "noble rank" (jue), "deer" (lu) for "official salary" (lu), wasp (feng) for "confer" (feng), and "monkey" (hou) for "high-ranking noble" (hou). This complex rebus first appeared on Ming dynasty blue-and-white porcelains and continued to be popular in Qing dynasty decorative arts.

HIDDEN MEANING: May you receive a high rank and official salary (juelu fenghou)!