how do i polish gilded ceramics?

dear all

gold gold gold .... the chinese really do love their gold

1) the tea set was mostly likely a wedding gift. it has a mark but not found on the gotheborg site, under chinese or japanese. one teacup chipped at the rim and a missing teapot, only lid. the tray is 9 1/2" by 6 3/4". teacup, sugar bowl and milk pot are 1 3/4" to 2" height. the saucer is 3 3/4" diameter.

2) bowl plate for what purpose? i think the shape has a special name? anyway, this bowl plate is only 4 1/5" in diameter with the inner depression diameter of 2 1/5". the bottom base diameter is 1 7/10" and the height is 1 1/5". no mark. these don't look like they go together with the tea set but ... it's anybody's guess.

because of less than ideal long term storage, there are spots and stains. can anyone please teach me how to polish it? what to use specifically and alternatives because i may not be able to get it so easily in Penang. and finally, when and where they were made.

cheers and tq
phaik hooi

 

Hi Phaik......here's a little info on the mark.

Others will be along who can offer more detailed help.

https://www.thespruce.com/royal-vienna-beehive-or-shield-mark-148563

 

Use nothing stronger than soap, warm water and a soft cloth. Gold can be and usually is worn off.

 

It's a very thin coating of gold, don't try to polish it. Like Cherryhill says, soap, water and a soft cloth.

 

yet another fake in the family?
my apologies to everyone

 

noted and thanx!!

 

Surely there is only one Phaik! Any fake Phaik will be dealt with! Fffff

 

actually there are several Phaiks because Phaik is a generation name

Chinese names are divided into Family name=surname, Generation name and Given name. in olden days, given names also change with age, as in birth name, home/private name and adult/public name. Generation names are found in ancestral records or family books called 'Jiapu" which list a bunch of generation names for the clan to follow. that way, within each clan, we actually know which generation the person belongs to.

 

Phaik, do you ever sleep?

Yes, I know the system. There are related systems in Indonesia. Especially the name changes, which makes sorting out ancestral lines from a distance (Netherlands) a bit difficult. Who is who?
I have been given the task to dig up genealogical data for our branch of the family, which is quite international. Part of the ancestry is Javanese and Madurese (and Peranakan), so I came across that tangle.
But at least there is information on that side. The European side is more difficult, our painted and gilded copy of the family tree was stolen during one of the many Nazi raids, and a lot of the old records were destroyed during WWII.
I finally discovered there were copies of some of the records in Cologne, Germany. When I wanted to contact the city archives there, this happened:

The rubble is the city archives, 'gone underground' in 2009. Not my fault, I swear. Cologne decided they wanted a subway, and someone miscalculated.
Priceless old manuscripts, German, Belgian, Dutch, went down along with our humble records.

 

ouch! and double ouch!!
yes lots of Jiapu and old records were destroyed and lost during the wars in China and Malaya/Penang. some clans in China are now using Jiapu from clansmen who made copies when they left China
but you must have the lineage going back several centuries by now? and knowledgeable in several languages to trace the Javanese, Madurese and Peranakan line!

ps: i slept

 

I know a tiny bit of Indonesian and have a good Javanese dictionary, that helps.
The old records of the Madurese line are all in Javanese, which was the language for many court records. Our Madurese ancestors were royalty, so that helps. Some of the records are even translated in Dutch and English. That part of the family can trace the lineage back to the prophet Muhammad, so 6th century. Muhammad's ancestry goes back to the 6th century BC, but that was a period of oral history.
The earliest Peranakan ancestor we know of, lived in Tuban in the 15th century. His daughter married into a family of very mixed Asian background, mystics and royals. They are the link to Muhammad. Her great-granddaughter married a king of Madura.

The European lineage is all over the place as well.
Mostly French, German, some Dutch, and with a bit of Ashkenazic (German) Jewish and probably Sephardic (Portuguese) Jewish thrown in for good measure.
The earliest mention of my family name is in 13th century Belgian records.
The fun thing for me as a former theologian is that my ancestors come from all world religions. And some lesser known ones.

 

@Any Jewellery
that's awesome!!

 

having knowledge of one's family history.......priceless !

 

I dunno if the spots can be cleaned off as I suspect maybe Japanese rather than European. Washing carefully may diminish their appearance though.

 

tq. japan was one of the countries making reproduction royal vienna, right?

 

Yes.