IDENTIFYING PORCELAIN, POTTERY and CHINAWARE MARKS
Makers’ marks or backstamps on Porcelain, Pottery or Chinaware are the most important signs for revealing the age and origin of an item. Marks on pottery have been in use since very early times in many areas of the world. It is believed that the Chinese begun using some sort of a Dynasty seal mark comprising of a few Kanji characters since the 6thC to pay homage to the reigning Emperor, who usually was the main patron of arts at the time. This activity peaked during the Ming dynasty (14 – 17thC) and continued during the next procession of Qing emperors [pronounced CHeeN]. The Europeans began marking Earthenware and other types of ceramic wares around the 13thC, particularly on Delftware, Faience, Majolica and similarly styled items during the prePorcelain era. Ancient Clayware was Two Chinese Porcelain marks (L-to-R): almost never marked. MING Dynasty HONGZHI [ca 1487 - 1505] and QING Dynasty JIAQING [ca 1796 - 1820], also often found on recent reproductions made in China & elsewhere
True Porcelain was originally invented by the Chinese around 100BC as a special mixture of white clay, consisting mostly of Petunse and Kaolin. For more, please see our article on TYPES OF PORCELAIN: Hard Paste, Soft Paste, and Bone China. European white and translucent porcelain was first developed around the 17thC in Germany, practically concurrently at Meissen and Volkstedt. The fierce competition and varying quality standards that ensued between many companies that sprung up shortly thereafter in many countries, necessitated the use of makers marks that distinguished one from the other. Wealthy clients from the noble classes of European society clamored for specific brands as if it was an important status symbol, not very differently to how we regard major brands on all sorts of luxury goods today. Naturally, this became an incentive for several newer entrants or smaller companies imitating the marks of famous makers, often very bluntly and at times on equally well-made examples, which resulted in a plethora of porcelain & chinaware copy marks, especially at a time before any Copyright regulations or other legal protections were in place. For a specific example of how items from Meissen were widely imitated, please see PORCELAIN MARKS FROM MEISSEN & DRESDEN. The good news is that even these copied marks can be identified fairly accurately and attributed to a specific company or studio. Catalogs and lists of makers’ marks existed since early 19thC, but painstakingly organized and vetted makers’ marks guides for Ceramics first appeared around 1880s or so. Since then, not only a vast number of newer companies have continued to enter the market and produced exquisite porcelain & chinaware items world-wide, but also many pottery studios
became the inspirational bedrock of many skilled artisans in just about any village or town. Decorative styles also evolved dramatically and manufacturing techniques were improved significantly. “Fake” or copied marks continue to be used on recent reproductions and current identification guides need to be constantly updated to keep up. Our online Ceramics marks guide is one such example of easy-to-use visual reference to identify marks on figurines, chinaware, vases, porcelain dolls, studio pottery and all sorts of other ceramic wares. We always strive to add new material and information as it becomes available or is newly discovered, almost daily. Unlike silver marks, which often include certain officially registered Hallmarks that can help in providing additional clues as to an item’s specific age or country of origin, marks on ceramics are usually single small icons and symbols or, as in the case of artisan pottery, initials or a name. Trade names are also stamped or impressed by many companies, often incorporated within or near a symbol or Decorative Plates, Vases and displayed in fancy writing. Some of these Chinaware in need of identification names are Patterns, which frequently are not only re-issued by the same company several times, but are also used on patterns of differing designs by other manufacturers. The actual design may be registered, but the name usually can’t. Once again, pictorial lists of these thousands upon thousands of marks can help a collector identify their treasures, which in turn determines their worth based on current market trends. For more information on Two British Staffordshire marks that this topic, please see: HOW TO IDENTIFY include a Pattern name (l-to-R): SAMPSON ANTIQUE CERAMICS: Porcelain & Pottery or HANCOCK & SONS [DEVON] - ca 1906 China makers marks. 1912 and SAMUEL ALCOCK & Co. Authenticating makers’ marks, especially on [JAPANESE] - ca 1830s - 1850s porcelain, is yet another necessary challenge for collectors. This is not a simple case of recognizing famous marks that have been imitated in specific ways and have been documented over the years. Some accurate recent reproductions are made with remarkable attention to detail
and their quality, using modern fabrication methods, can often surpass that of the original. Importers of such items often use marks that are practically identical to well-attributed logos used in the past and just add a sticker for the country of origin (required on all imports to the US since 1890s) that is then removed on purpose prior to sale. Distinguishing these cases can be daunting even for an experienced collector or dealer. Members of our services at www.marks4antiques.com have access to all documented or registered marks divided in shape categories, for example marks that look like a crown are under “Crowns”, marks that look like an anchor are under “Anchors” and so on - all in all, some 60 different categories. With all images of marks being tabulated this way, we have paid special attention to display reproduction or fake marks side-by-side to the authentic ones for instant comparison. Additionally, we offer our Help Guarantee, which means that members of our services can ask our specialists as many questions and as often as they wish at no extra charge. Here are some EXAMPLES OF RESEARCH ANSWERS TO PORCELAIN & POTTERY MARKS QUESTIONS by our specialists to our members that you may find interesting and revealing.
About marks4antiques.com - Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary of service, marks4antiques.com is dedicated to providing the largest and most updated research tools to help its members identify and appraise antiques & collectibles. Registered members have access to comprehensive visual reference methods with thousands upon thousands of images of makers’ marks & hallmarks displayed in Shape or Letter Categories for fast access or can use the proprietary Name or Initials Search features. Also includes a huge database of millions of actual auction records and uses a ‘smart’ search that quickly deciphers key terms using advanced software technology to yield accurate and relevant results. The company is located in the San Francisco Bay area since 2004.
A French early 20thC LONGWY Porcelain Decorative or Display Tile