Identifying "R" and Shamrock Hand Painted Marks

Discussion in 'Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain' started by Erol, Jun 18, 2018.

  1. Erol

    Erol New Member

    I purchased what appears to be a soft-paste demitasse in the style of Royal Copenhagen with two hand-painted marks on it. I was curious if those marks are just the work of an individual painter or perhaps from an actual porcelain company. The only information I had from the shop I bought it from is "late 1800s well saucer and cup, blue onion" (though it's not the blue onion pattern).

    IMG_3714-2.jpg IMG_3715-2.jpg
     
  2. clutteredcloset49

    clutteredcloset49 Well-Known Member

    The marks may be decorator marks.

    Looks a lot like Royal Copenhagen fluted - Japan copied it.
     
    judy likes this.
  3. Erol

    Erol New Member

    Thanks! Almost identical to blue fluted, right? And thinking of it as a copy is an interesting lead because the cup is slightly misshapen and the thickness between cup and saucer is very different, so it seems to be a lower quality knock off.

     
    judy likes this.
  4. clutteredcloset49

    clutteredcloset49 Well-Known Member

    I believe this pattern was made by several companies as well as Japan.

    The fact that the cup is a different thickness from the saucer, may mean that it is a marriage. (Not original to each other). Also the marks are not the same. You would think they would match.
    Taking a closer look, I also see that the clays seem to be a little different color, and the rims aren't finished the same.

    Also some of the older cups were not always perfectly round, so the cup may be older than the saucer.

    Just my thoughts. Wait for others to comment tomorrow.

    upload_2018-6-18_21-55-50.png
    upload_2018-6-18_21-55-23.png
     
  5. dgbjwc

    dgbjwc Well-Known Member

    I just sold several pieces of this under the pattern name "strawflower". I had about forty pieces and I swear it seemed like no two pieces had the same mark. Those that did have decipherable marks were all German. Most sold and it didn't seem to matter if they were marked on not. Oddly enough the plates sold well but I'm still trying to move the cups and saucers.
    Don
     
    pearlsnblume likes this.
  6. Erol

    Erol New Member

    Thanks! I didn't know strawflower was another, broader term for what I always thought was Royal Copenhagen's own pattern. Germany might be a likely origin then, at least for the cup. It has the crisp, sharp trimming style on the foot I've seen on Meissen and other German porcelain.

     
  7. Erol

    Erol New Member

    A marriage seems likely come to think of it, especially in light of the fact that it was a very popular and copied pattern from what dgbjwc said. Plus looking closer: the flowers are handled differently on each of them. The saucer uses four or five petals only and the cup uses petals with a cluster of "stamens" at the top.

     
    clutteredcloset49 likes this.
  8. Erol

    Erol New Member

    I've done some more digging about this, and just wanted to update the post:

    The shamrock, clover, or trefoil mark on the bottom of the saucer was used by porcelain factories in Limbach, Thurungia, Germany (Source). These mostly date from the late eighteenth century. They "specialised in quickly produced, simple wares." See images of similar wares I found below.

    18th-porcelain-cup-saucer_360_9a654211277f99f7e365dbf0eb32c3b3.jpg
    42660723_4_x.jpg
    3f91e261-5a1f-43e3-b9ae-b466c2797adf.jpg
    42660723_3_x.jpg
    42660723_1_x.jpg
    original.jpg

    That may explain the saucer, however the R mark on the cup is not from Limbach. My best guess is Rauenstein, also another ceramic maker in Thurungia, Germany, and from a similar time period (1780s-1800s).

    See images of similar "R" marks on Rauenstein.

    P2015101204-3-1000x1000.jpg
    P2015101204-2-1000x1000.jpg
    germany14.jpg

    Nevertheless, the pieces are still a marriage.
     
    UncleChuckTX, dgbjwc and i need help like this.
  9. i need help

    i need help Moderator Moderator

    Thank you for updating your post. It benefits us all, to search back and have this reference. :)
     
    Erol likes this.
  10. Garynvegas

    Garynvegas New Member

    Can anyone tell me which maker is listed as # 7a in the illustration above ?
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2019
  11. i need help

    i need help Moderator Moderator

    F11D06F1-D426-4D84-97E8-05960CFAEEB2.jpeg
    Welcome to the Forum, Gary! I separated the one you are asking about. It says LWP.
     
  12. i need help

    i need help Moderator Moderator

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