Hi Peter,
Thanks for all the information!
It is part of a quite large set, maybe of 10 or 12, and has a lovely soup tureen.
I believe they would have bought the set new, sometime in the late 50’s, but I think there are 2 different marks. I’ll put up the other one soon- I’ve got them in storage- and I’ll make sure they’re both right side up (or at least I’ll try!)
I will definitely look into one of the auction houses.
Many thanks again,
Elizabeth
I think it’s lovely and I’m sure that others will like it too. I love the colour and the decoration.
To produce this type of incised “scraffito” ware is highly skilled and very labour extensive. To buy it new now in China would probably be quite expensive as the Chinese currency is rising and wages in China are increasing rapidly. In many industries they are getting short of labour!
In the 1960s to the 1980s they were sold through prestigious department stores like Saks, Nieman Marcus & Selfridges.
However its a very well known type which is quite often seen so it’s value is mainly decorative at the moment but in future it may well become collectable and gain some premium value.
To have a character mark is a plus but the mark doesn’t look like a very early one to me. Was the set new when they bought it ? If you don’t know then compare the marks on all of them, if they are all roughly the same then that seems most likely.
Incidentally the mark photo is upside down. I can’t read Chinese but I have seen enough of them to know which way is up (usually).
To have a whole set is also a plus. How many pieces do you have ? I have two and have sold one small dish. They are very heavy for posting so if you are wanting to sell the whole lot it wold be much easier to sell through a reputable auction house. The auctioneer would advise you on value.
Hope this helps.
Peter – ato55mic