Need help identifying porcelain tea and coffee cups

Hello, we are newbies at collecting teacups and our new thrift haul left us with some questions. Any help is very much appreciated!

This one has two logos on it, on both the cup and the plate, a "winterling bavaria porcelain" on the plate covered by a "MABA porcellane T.Limonges" logo, and a "mitterteich porzellan" on the cup covered by the same MABA one. As far as we understand the logos underneath are porcelain makers and the print is done by a different company. But we might be wrong. Also, the plate and cup dont seem to "fit" together, almost as if the plate is too big.

Thanks for the help!

 

Yup - The blanks were made by Mitterteich and Winterling and the decoration was done by MABA. (BTW - It's Limoges not Limonges.) It's very common in Europe for this to occur.

 

Decorator companies can buy blanks for any manufacturer and create their own patterns. How successfully they do that is bound to vary. Marks over those of the porcelain manufacturers are intended to obliterate them. It's not the porcelain body that's being sold on its own merit. A general standard of manufacturing proficiency is expected, and no doubt cost is a major factor. The decorator company takes full credit for the pattern. They don't want any confusion over whose pattern it is, and probably the manufacturers agree.

 

As far as I can tell, T. Limoges has nothing to do with Limoges, France, but it doesn't stop people from listing that way. I wish someone knew what MABA stands for. I think it must be from Italy.

 

Most T. Limoges I've found is also marked Made in Italy. Most Limoges collectors concentrate on pieces from the Limoges region of France.
Don

 

Thank you, for all the help that was given.

I have some questions?

M.A.B.A is a Italian designer, as anyone have any information on this?

And Limoges is what? A French style of porcelain?

So is right to assume, that this cup is very recent?

 

1. MABA appears to be an Italian design house but there is not enough information available on the web for me to able to say much more.

2. Limoges is a region in France that has been know for centuries for the quality of the porcelain that is produced there. Most people are familiar with the dinnerware made by Haviland but there were dozens of other companies in that region producing all types of fine china. The most prized pieces are usually hand painted. Since Limoges is a region rather than a specific company the name cannot be trademarked. Other manufacturers have exploited these circumstances to call their china Limoges even though it not produced in the Limoges region. I'm rather surprised the European Union hasn't closed this loophole somehow but it still wouldn't prevent the dreaded Made in China Limoges.

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying some of these "imposter" pieces aren't very nice china in their own regards. It's just that they have been marked in a way to imply a certain level of quality that may or may not be there.

3. Since we don't know much about MABA it's hard to say exactly how old these pieces are. The company (if it is one - it may be a licensing arrangement similar to Martha Stewart) is still in business as best I can tell. Based on my experience your cup and saucer are most likely no older than maybe 2000. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a whole tea set or dessert set out there somewhere in this pattern.

Good luck with your collecting. Collecting cups and saucers can be a lot of fun and doesn't require a substantial investment to get started!
Don

 

Thank you very much, for this information, is very useful.