Posted 5 years ago
MadamMisty
(87 items)
So I saw these at an estate sale and thought they were interesting and inexpensive, but I have no clue what their purpose is. Is it a condiment set for your table? Or something you keep on your dresser for cosmetics? There is a ruler in the photo -- the tray is 5" in length. Clueless. Any help is appreciated.
At first glance I would say it was a dresser set. A typical dresser set had a tray, a hair catcher (top with a very large hole), a hat pin holder, and a trinket box with a cover. But never anything with handles. The cover flowers match the tray. The open flower of the handled cup doesn't match the other flower design. I am wondering if someone put these together because the colors of the flowers were very close. I have pieces with flowers that are close but not of the same pattern. Last thought: the tray is crowded with these three pieces. A trinket box, hair receiver and hat pin holder fit nicely on a 5" tray; I have a set and know this is true. Other last thought: I think the handled dish is a sugar bowl because of its shape and size. Could you post a pic of the dish without handles? The top edges look rough which would indicate a top should be there and the same looks to be the case with the handles dish. The tray is beautiful, by the way.
Hi Braider -- Thanks for the insight. I didn't spot that the handled dish is a different pattern. It is not marked at all on the bottom, unlike the other pieces. The rim of that handled dish feels rough, like it should have a top as you suggested. Well spotted! Thanks -- now I know not to use it for mustard and ketchup, but put it front and center on my dresser! What age would it be? 1930s?
The classic Nippon era ran from 1890 to 1920. There's an excellent article on Nippon porcelain here. The M in a wreath is on the best pieces and stands for "Morimura" for the Morimura brothers. You can Google all sorts of back stamps, both real and counterfeit. Joyce van Patten has a wonderful set of books of Nippon pieces and there's an International Nippon Collector's Club with a site. Word of warning: never buy a piece unless your are well versed on both back stamps, patterns, and counterfeit patterns. If you research enough and feel enough pieces you'll get an intuition as to what is real and what isn't. Your set is lovely and treat it well.