I have a gilded seashell imprint bowl marked: “ITALY 1847” with a porcelain coating on the inside (makes a high pitched gong sound when tapped) and what appears to be wood grain -underneath a red stain – underneath the gilding. Is this my imagination? The inside porcelain looks as if it were coil wrapped, but I suppose it may have been wood carved to appear that way… or maybe swelling of a tree’s rings. Any info is greatly appreciated thank you!
The last piic did not show !! Pretty sure your bowl is made of Papier Mache` !! Do not think it was made in 1847 !! The coating you mentioned would be normal for papier mache` as well as the red undercoat !! The bottom shows the papier fibers that were compressed to make the bowl !! You can google search to see many more examples !! It can e quite collectable !! Please use the reply rather than comment so I will know that someone has answered !!