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I have recently acquired this vase. The height is 21.5cms. There are no cracks or chips. There is a little wear to the gold on the handles which are shaped as lizards, also a little wear to the relief on the dragon. There are 17 people on it and a dragon winding around the vase. Does someone have the knowledge and good will to help me with identification and value please? thankyou in advance, Gill

Gill,

Vases such as yours, decorated with enamels and a lot of gilding, were exported to the West by the millions. There were scores if not hundreds of makers in the same vicinity and other potteries elsewhere that made similar wares.

The circle with cross is a Shimazu family crest, but doesn't indicate that family's connection with any of the potteries. It was just put on the marks by many of the potters--perhaps they thought it would impress Western customers (who of course had never heard of the wealthy family).

You show the mark upside down.

One rule of thumb is that the more gold in the decoration, the later the pot was made, with a production peak in the 1920s.

It's impossible to tell from your pictures how well done the decoration is.

You can see many examples of marks and wares from late 19th and 20th century at the link below.

For sale price, an internet search will produce many examples for sale. You will probably find several examples to compare with yours.

Some of the earlier, most finely done, examples with a decorator's own mark have higher value among specialist collectors (these are also being faked). But in general since they are so common and the taste for them comes and goes, they have value mainly for whatever decorative use you wish to make of them. Completely pristine mint-condition pieces would be more likely to have a positive sale value.

Best regards,
Judy

URL Title :Satsuma marks

Thankyou so much for your time and knowledge Judy. Looking through the posts on this forum it seems that showing the mark upsidedown is a common mistake which sorts out those who know from those who don't! At least I know now.Is it worthwhile putting some better pics on or have you seen enough? Very best wishes, Gill

Dear Gill,

If you could get a shot of the whole vase and a couple of close-ups of the decoration in natural light, plus maybe one of the base, it might tell someone else more than it would tell me. One can only make a preliminary and general assessment from your initial presentation.

I should also say that I do not mean to cast aspersions on whatever reason caused you to acquire the vase. Obviously there were a large number of customers for them. It was not really until after World War I that catalog-vendors (such as Sears) made the sight of such items available to a broad segment of Americans. To them these were really exotic goods, with bright enamels and lavished with gold. A lot of women would save their pennies for such a purchase, with an eye to dressing up the front parlor.

You are right about frequency of upside-down marks. X number of decades ago I would have done the same thing at least half the time. Struggling to read characters on the basis of only dictionaries quickly gives one the sense of how they should look!

Best regards,
Judy

thanks again Judy, I'll do as you suggest with the photos. Bought it in England , came as part of a "box of odds" at an auction.Best Wishes, Gill

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