Q: I recently bought a small vase that is marked Erphila Art Pottery. Can you help me identify it?
A: Erphila is a mark used by Ebeling & Reuss on pottery and porcelain imported from Czechslovakia, Germany, and other European countries after 1920. Ebeling & Reuss was founded in Philadelphia in 1886. They imported vases, pitchers, figurines, dinnerware, and more in styles ranging from Victorian to Art Deco. The name “Erphila” is a combination of the initials “E” and “R” and the first letters of the city, “phila.” The company was sold to Strathmore Corp. of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 2002 and is still in business.
