I have no clue about what this is

My Mom passed away a few moths ago and my Dad just gave me this vase. He said it had belonged to my great Grandmother, then Grandmother, then passed down to my Mother. My GG was from England, so it's probably English. It's hand painted and has a couple small initials (AS maybe) engraved on the bottom. They are faint.

Does anyone have any idea what this is? Any insights would be appreciated.

 

Personally, to me it looks handmade.

 

It could be a trick of the light but are these two words?

 

Forgot to add that this isn't a type of vase that I have much knowledge about but reminds me of some older Nippon vases.

 

The reason I suggest that is because the oval center design is not uniform. The handles do not appear to be symmetrical. The painting is rather "not precise" and even the bottom rim is not the same width all the way around.
No disrespect. It just seems a bit off to me...but I am not a professional so I will wait with you to see if the answers are forthcoming.

 

To be sure, we'd need to see the actual 'marks' far more clearly. Not sure how you may manage to photograph and indentation which has no colour to differentiate it. Perhaps from an angle with various changes in lighting position from a torch???

As for the design, the raised dots I see are a style called moriage, which is used most commonly in Japanese items. Though has been replicated many times by others.

Whilst it does appear a little asymmetrical in shape/design, it is still a lovely piece and it is nice to have something handed down through generations of your family line like that. Given its age, it may still be worth something, so best to look after it.

It's a pity there aren't any more obvious maker marks.

 

You have a Nippon Ceramic vase (not porcelain).
Probably pre 1891 when country of origin was required for importation to the US.

Although nice, it is not high quality. The value is in the fact that it was your Great Grandmother's and passed down. You should write everything you know about her, date of birth/where, marriage/date death/where. The same with your grandmother and your mother and put it in the vase so that it stays together.

Here are some ceramic and porcelain ones - styles are similar. I didn't find an exact match
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Antique+Nippon+Vases&FORM=RESTAB

BTW - Forgot to say welcome to the board.

 

so my son was able to get a better picture of the marks on the bottom. It looks like A-430 or A-450. What could letter/numbers mean

 

Are you talking about this? Those are not manufacturer marks.
Maybe someone tried to scratch an identifier mark on it.
Back in the 1970s, we were told to scratch DL#s or SS#s on items in case of theft.