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The Noritake compnay was set up by the Morimura family at Noritake near Nagoya in the early twentieth century. Called at first 'Nippon Toki Kaisha Ltd' on its founding in 1904, the business soon changed its name to 'Noritake' and began the manufacture of porcelains for the domestic and export markets. The mark seen here is interesting. It comprises a 'Komaru' symbol, crowned with "Noritake" and with the mark 'Made In Japan'. The centre symbol said to be taken from the Japanese character "Komaru", meaning "overcoming difficulties". According to the Noritake company tradition this mark was designed when contact with the different culture of the west early in the 20th century caused problems of adaptation. It is also known as the 'tree crest mark' which is the clan crest of the Morimura family. This mark is said to have been registered in London for the UK market by 1908. The curled up ends of the Komaru symbol seen here distinguish this mark from later versions and allow a dating of this piece to the early twentieth century.

Noritake porcelain became synonymous with finely potted tea and breakfast services made in great quantities for export. These vases are a rather more unusual production and show the factory capable of producing high quality pieces with decorative potential.

While this model, often called the ‘harvest pattern’, is found quite often, it is very unusual to see a graduated set of three, all matching. The form of the mark, where the lion does not sit above a crown, was used between 1922 and 1927 which gives us the dating here. The largest jug carries the letter ‘a’ which was a decorator’s mark and stands for Louisa Ayling. Perhaps she worked on all three, but this must remain a guess although the quality of the work on all three is quite consistent producing a highly decorative and attractive ensemble.

Kutani (the word means 'nine valleys') porcelain was made at various factories in the former Kaga province of Japan. The earliest pieces were in a completely different style employing a palette of colours emphasising green, the so called 'Ko Kutani'. Production of this ceased around 1730, and manufacturing was not revived until the early nineteenth century when the more familiar colourings of iron red and gold were introduced. This small vase is typical of pieces exported to the West in fairly large quantities at the end of the nineteenth century. The form suggests a water dropper and is found in Imari colourings as well. Many of the Kutani pieces were marked, sometimes simply 'Ku' 'Tani' as here. The glaze was sometimes unstable with a tendency to craze as can be seen here, but this is original to the manufacture and does not detract from the piece's decorative appeal.

The rather more elaborate style of decoration here and the addition of enamel colours to the standard imari palette of underglaze blue, iron red and gold resembles 'kenjo imari' pieces produced in Japan in the eighteenth century and in the early nineteenth century, a specific type of Imari that was highly decorated and meant for domestic consumption, Kenjo, meaning 'for presentation'. The paste of the foot, harder and smoother than that used in the later nineteenth century, suggests a dating here to around 1820 before trade with the West was temporarily paused. The form suggests a cup for Sake and this piece was probably one of an original set of five, but it stands on its own as a decorative item in miniature.

The style of decoration suggests Art Nouveau designs but there are no obvious parallels. Continental manufacture seems likely, perhaps France or Germany.

The firm Royal Bonn had its origins in the eighteenth century when by order of the Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Cologne, the factory Kurfürstliche Fayencerie Poppelsdorf (Poppelsdorf Faience Fabrique) was founded in 1755 to discover the secret recipe of porcelain. Two years later, when no results had been achieved, Clemens August withdrew his support and there began a long period of multiple and varying ownerships of the business culminating in the involvement of the Mehlem brothers, Paul Joseph Mehlem and Everhard Joseph Mehlem, in 1836, who renamed the business after their own name, eventually using that of their Father, Franz Anton. After the death of the last remaining member of the family, Everhard, in 1865, the business was taken over yet again, still though retaining the family name, until it was sold to Villeroy and Boche in 1920. Shortly after this, the production of fine porcelain ceased and the factory closed in 1931.

The form of the mark here was used between 1885 and 1920 and this set was probably made in the early years of the twentieth century. The quality of the porcelain is easily appreciated and this is a highly decorative set which could also have a practical value today.

Although not marked as such, this vase has all the hallmarks of the firm Scheurich Keramik which started production in 1954, rather later than most of its competitors, but soon became the largest producer of commercial art pottery in Germany. Their pieces rarely carried the factory name but usually the model number followed by the height in centimetres with ‘W.Germany’ below, as here. Model ‘517’ can be found in a variety of different glazes but the pattern and colourings here, more muted than some of Sheurich’s work and with a matt finish, are particularly pleasing and complement the elegant form most successfully. Dating is to the 1960s.

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An advert for Edwin Umfreville appeared in 'The Bazaar, The Exchange and Mart - 19th April 1879' where one of his pieces is described. "Like all the “ E. U." jewellery that we have seen, the workmanship is first-class, and the design most tasteful."

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Thomas Webb began his glass career in 1829, when he became a partner in the Wordsley Glassworks. Various career changes followed and in 1859 he was joined by his sons Thomas Wilkes Webb and Charles Webb and began trading as Thomas Webb & Sons based in Stourbridge. The firm was run by various family members until mergers started to occur in the early twentieth century and Sven Fogelberg, previously from Swedish glassworks Kosta, became manager in 1932. Production continued with more mergers in the 1960s and 1970s until the firm closed in 1990. This vase was made by Thomas Webb during the 1950s as part of their 'Gay Glass' range in a design called 'Old English Bull's Eye' and has the typical 'Webb England' mark to the base.

These bone and lacquer plaques were produced in great quantities by Japanese artists in the late nineteenth century for export to the West and became a familiar feature of the European drawing room. The medium was easily subject to damage and loss, especially in respect of the bone inlay, and while this example has some slight damage this is confined to a crack in the lacquer ground of the panel itself and some chipping to the extremities of the panel. The decoration of the figures remains intact (the surround seems to have been cut away in some places to give added definition to the composition) and allows appreciation of the skill with which they were carved, presenting a genre scene of great charm.

The town of Arita in the former Hizen Province, northwestern Kyūshū island, was a major centre for the production of porcelains in Japan. Best known for blue and white pieces it also produced polychrome wares as well, including the familiar Imari colourings. While similar to Imari, the wider palette of colours used here is usually termed ‘Arita’ and this bowl employs not only the colourings but also many of the decorative elements found in these wares. The angular form, though, is unusual. Dating is to the Meiji era (1868-1912) probably around 1880.

'Crackleware' glazed pieces, usually with 'bronzed’ bands, were a staple output of the Chinese potteries from the mid nineteenth century onwards and were produced in a wide variety of mainly vase shape forms, both in polychrome and blue and white and intended as decorative pieces for the Victorian rooms of the West. As with other ceramic types, the quality deteriorated and this piece is typical of the late productions with a more modest level of craftsmanship but still retaining a naif charm. As with many ginger jars, this one lacks its original domed cover which would have been decorated to match.

The Charles Sadek Import Company was founded in 1936 by the father and son Charles and Norman Sadek and began by importing decorative items from Japan later broadening their range to a wider variety of suppliers including China. These pieces were sold under the ‘Andrea by Sadek’ brand, named after Norman's daughter Andrea. The business continued to a third generation until it was taken over by Fitz & Floyd in 2015.

This box, then, is a typical example of their range of wares, good quality decorative items marketed at an affordable price. The quality of these boxes can vary and this piece seems to be an above average example.

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Born in 1885 at Lille, France, Louis Dage was early known as a ceramics artist, describing himself on the birth registration of his daughter in 1906 as a ‘decorator on faience’. In 1920 he joined with Louis Fontinelle (1886-1964) to create a faience factory in Antony, near Paris, but the venture was short lived and they parted company two years later. In 1930, Dage set up his own studio at Saint-Sever in company with his brother and daughter becoming managing director of the firm three years later. There then followed a little over thirty years of production under his direction until his death in 1961. Art Deco designs with their simple lines and bold decoration were produced initially to be followed by pieces of more rugged shapes and patterns, partly resulting from the shortage of conventional raw materials during the second world war.

This bowl and cover represents the best of Dage’s earlier work. The base has straight sides curving in slightly towards the base and has a flush fitting flat and gently domed cover overhanging slightly at the edge. The piece is covered overall with a mottled glaze in tones of blue and light aubergine on which are painted maple leaves in green with bright blue berries, a design which can be found on some of Dage’s other pieces (see image 13). The lid carries his signature ‘DAGE’ with a flowing line underneath, a much less common version of the Dage mark but which can be found elsewhere (see image 14). More normally pieces are signed ‘L.Dage’, the name being in lower case rather than capitals.Form and decoration combine to produce a striking object, characteristic of the fashions of the time of its production and a worthy tribute to its maker.

Reproductions were soon produced, one of the earliest being a bookplate, number 110, in the 1898 publication ‘Les Maîtres de l'affiche’ edited by Jules Chéret, which played a considerable part in promoting the poster as a work of art. Most of the copies produced are smaller and of variable print quality but this version is very true to the original and is not a current reprint. It employs a printing technique known as ‘giclée’, a French term meaning ‘sprayed’, referring to the operation of a printer which uses small spraying devices that can match colours and apply ink with precision, producing high quality reproductions of original art (see images 4 and 6). When viewed out of the frame, which is doubtless later, its age and the accuracy of the colours can be clearly seen suggesting a much earlier dating than most of the versions on offer (few of which are full size) probably to the mid twentieth century. One of Lautrec’s most famous images can be enjoyed, then, to the full in a contemporary domestic setting.

[The telephone number on the address label at the reverse, employing the exchange code for Cowes, Isle of Wight (0983) implies that the frame was made around the time of or before ‘PhONEday’ in April 1995.]

Duxer Porzellanmanufaktur, or the Dux Porcelain Manufactory, was started in 1860 by Eduard Eichler in what was then Duchov, Bohemia, later to become part of Czechoslovakia. Production was to continue until the beginning of the second world war and beyond and their later pieces are now generally referred to by the abbreviated name, ‘Royal Dux’. The distinctive pink triangle plaque mark was first used in the late nineteenth century but appears on pieces from all dates, the version found here indicating late twentieth century work which is also confirmed by the rather indistinct stamped mark comprising a triangle surrounded by the wording ‘Hand Painted Made in Czech Republic’. The artist is named as ‘V.David’ and there seem to be two other companion pieces in different poses. The quality is quite excellent and explains the original popularity of the firm when it began manufacturing in the nineteenth century and produced highly successful imitations of its contemporary rivals.

The European love of tea began in the mid seventeenth century after it had been introduced to the West by the Dutch East India Company. It was at first an expensive luxury item to be enjoyed by the select few including the diarist Samuel Pepys who wrote in 1660 that he was at a meeting attended by, amongst others, Sir Richard Ford, who ‘…talked like a man of great reason and experience. And afterwards did send for a Cupp of Tee (a China drink) of which I never had drank before) and went away.’ Pepys seems not to have been very fond of ‘tee’ which was fortunate because it could cost up to a hundred times more than the sherry for which he had a much greater liking. The consumption of tea demanded the receptacles to brew it in and drink it from and the Chinese happily obliged. At first they sent over bowls and saucers (the tea cup was only to follow around a hundred years later), tea pots and tea ‘caddies’, which, bearing in mind the extremely high cost of the tea, were designedly small. The word is thought to be derived from ‘catty’, the Chinese pound, equal to about a pound and a third in the English standard of weight. The earliest tea caddies were rectangular with four small feet, soon to be followed by a flattened octagonal form with a plain bottom, in both cases being fitted with a round ‘cap’ cover.

During the eighteenth century the repertoire of the tea service expanded considerably to include a teapot, teapot stand, spoon tray, sugar basin and cover, cream or milk jug and cover, a saucer dish for serving small biscuits, tea bowls and saucers and, of course, the small tea caddy and cover itself, all decorated in the same colourings and design. At the same time, the form of the tea caddy was considerably altered and the examples now produced had a flattened rectangular body with an arched top, slightly overhanging. The circular neck was completed by a circular cover with a broad rim and a knob finial above an unglazed central ‘stopper’ which fitted inside the top of the piece. Earlier examples were extremely well defined while the later ones were slimmer and of a less precisely formed shape.This piece, therefore, probably dates to the middle years of the Qianlong period (1736-1795).

Accordingly, we have here an example of the Chinese potter’s work at its best. As the seams at the side indicate, the body of these caddies was mould made in two parts and then joined together with the neck added. An additional attraction here is the fluting to the body which is much less common. The decoration is in underglaze blue, the colour being applied to the body before glazing and firing, and the design is a typical stylised landscape scene, a rocky outcrop in the foreground with trees and pavilions and behind a lake with flying birds and another mountainous range in the background again with buildings. As often, small figures can be seen occupying the nearer pavilions. The shoulder is decorated with a classic stylised geometric pattern border with diaper work and key pattern, the neck has two small floral sprays and the lid has a stylised floral border with cell work. To add opulence to the effect, the caddy (and indeed doubtless all of its companion pieces) was given the enhancement of gilt decoration on its arrival, most likely in one of the London workshops.

Truly, then, this was a luxury item at the time and it has survived in a remarkable state of preservation to the present day, intact and with its original cover, which is quite uncommon. Doubtless now to be admired rather than used, this tea caddy is a true collector’s gem and an outstanding example of the best of Chinese Export ware.

The Harrach glassworks is named after Alois Raimund von Harrach (Count Harrach), on whose estate it was founded in Bohemia, in the early eighteenth century. Managed at first by one Elias Muller, the firm traded under a variety of names becoming known as Harrach in the nineteenth century and Harrachov, the name eventually given to the town where the factory was situated, in the twentieth. These opulent vases were a popular part of its range in the nineteenth century, the pattern being produced in a variety of similar shapes and always as shelf ornament pieces. The decoration here is particularly lavish with an attractive use of colour and has survived in excellent condition making these a desirable addition for collectors of Bohemian glass or admirers of nineteenth century glass style generally.