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Hi,

My father in law was an antik dealer in Berlin before WWII and left us a Japanes porcelain sleeping cat figurine with gilt and a red green and blue spotted collar. It faces right. there is a mark on the bottom that I would like to know what it means.
Picture attacjed.
Thank you
Annette

Unless you're concerned about awakening the cat with your flash, a shot of the topside would help the rest of us form opinions about whether this indeed is a Japanese model or a Chinese copy.

Bill H.

Thank you Bill H. Attached a picture of the upper part of the porcelain cat. Its ears are chipped. It is 15cm long and 6cm heigh.
What does the mark on the bottom mean ?

Annette

The circled character 光, pronounced "ko" in Japanese, is an abbreviation in this case for Nikko, the location of the Japanese shrine with a famous carving of the sleeping cat, called "Nemuri-neko". When rested up, such a ceramic cat becomes the symbol of hospitality known as "Maneki-neko", the beckoning cat, or perhaps the original "Hello Kitty". Some of the more famous of these cat models are made in the Kutani kiln area, including this one of mine.

Best regards,

Bill H.

It'll take the Master of the forum, I.Nagy, to read this cursive marking, but here's the link to some info I dug up on such Japanese cats a few years ago.

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