Fine Bone China Porcelain Mark Query With Bird Sitting on Elephant's Back

by Catherine
(Ireland)

ASRO Fine Bone China Porcelain Mark Query With Bird Sitting on Elephant's Back

ASRO Fine Bone China Porcelain Mark Query With Bird Sitting on Elephant's Back

ASRO Fine Bone China Porcelain Mark Query With Bird Sitting on Elephant's Back:- Full 6 piece fine bone china tea set with teapot and milk & sugar jug and bowl. Inherited from great aunt and would like to know more about it. Pattern is of a woman with 2 children who appear to be Japanese or Chinese. Marked "ASRO" and has an elephant with a bird on it's back included in mark. Mainly grey in colour with what appears to be snow falling.


Any information much appreciated

Catherine


reply by Peter (admin) below - just scroll down...


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Reply by Peter (admin)

To:- ASRO Fine Bone China Porcelain Mark Query With Bird Sitting on Elephant's Back

Hi Catherine

You have created as many questions as answers - not least because you didn't upload any photos and I have never heard of 'ASRO'. Also None of the Elephant pottery marks I have seen have a bird sitting on their backs.

Visitors need to upload one single picture image which contains two or more merged photos to help illustrate their submissions (that's if they want decent answers in this public forum).

{Edited to say:- Catherine never sent in her photos so pictures from another submitter, Garnet, have been added to Catherine's original post. Note: one of the marks - from a garniture mantle set - is marked Germany - see full post below} ....my original reply below, but read further comments for all the added information posted since

OK, getting back to your wares, they sound very interesting and flag up an area we haven't talked
much about on this site - that of Elephant pottery marks.

A question - how do you know the set is fine bone china? Does it say so anywhere, or it translucent when held up the light and have a very pure white sheen? (please answer in the comment thread below...)

The elephant marks I know about bearing in mind I am enthusiast not an expert appraiser (experts can be contacted via this site here and can value your wares for a small fee) are as follows:-

Let's start with Japanese marks, as you say there are Japanese figures on your tea set.

Various Elephant marks attributed to the Tashiro Shoten Ltd (porcelain shop) in Yokohama - but normally has 'Made in Japan' and is just the head of a Elephant circled in a wreath (active before WWII up until 1954 also known as "Trico", "Trico China", "Royal Trico").

There are two other Elephant pottery marks I know, the first being known as the Silesia Earthenware Works AG of Breslau, Silesia (which is now Wroclaw in Poland).

The other is an American company called the Steubenville Pottery Co of Steubenville, Ohio, USA who put an Elephant stamp on their "Ivory" Ware.

That's all I know at present, please upload some photos and let's go from there.

Hope this helps

Best regards,

Peter (admin)
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Comments for Fine Bone China Porcelain Mark Query With Bird Sitting on Elephant's Back

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re fine bone china
by: catherine

Guessing it,s fine bone china because it fits the description on your site and others ie translucent and greyish in colour. It,s extremely light also, just curious as to where it comes from .
Elephant Pottery Mark
by: Peter (admin)

Hi Catherine

The greyish colour is a really good clue in that it means your wares are definitely not bone china - they are porcelain. Porcelain is greyish white whereas bone china is pure whiter than white.

This means your mark is likely either Japanese or European, but not English.

Regards

Peter (admin)
Ref china items by ASRO
by: suegarnet@aol.com

Hi Catherine

We have a three piece china set by ASRO with the elephant with a bird on its back. We are trying to sell it on ebay.

It is clock with two vases, they are all marked ASRO and the elephant with a bird on its back, But the clock and one vase is clearly marked Germany. So I think the ASRO china must be made in Germany.

We would like to know the history of ASRO.

Regards
Garnet
asro
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I have a complete china set 115 pieces, by ASRO with the elephant with a bird on its back.


i would like to know the history of ASRO.

henry
ASRO Germany Pottery
by: Peter (admin)

Hi All

We would all like to know more about ASRO pottery, but as I say in my post above, no mention of it exists either in any of my standard reference books or online - apart from in this very thread.

So this thread (being picked out by Google whenever people search for ASRO pottery mark information) is our best hope.

Indeed, despite the absence of photos, we have certainly gained some good information along the way.

For example, from Garnet's post, we know for certain this brand must be German, or have some connection with Germany, because she has a set of three items (clock with two vases) each is marked ASRO, but one has the word Germany stamped on it.

So we know they made clocks, which is unusual. Also, in my experience, matching decorative garniture of this type is quite unusual for a ceramics maker.

The word Germany, conflicts with Catherine's statement that her items are decorated with Japanese looking people. One would expect a Japanese maker to do this type of decoration, particularly in the 20th Century.

We know from Henry, they made large tea services of 115 items.

But we still don't know who they are.

Maybe they were a regional German retailer rather than a manufacturer. Actually I have seen the country of Romania shortened to the letters 'ASRO'. I am not sure what the first two letters stand for. If Germany bordered Romania, maybe there might be some tenuous connection (the ceramics industry of Romania is apparently based in Transylvania) but Hungary and the massive central European plain comes between Germany and Romania, so I can't see any connection.

As I said before, there are more questions than answers with this thread, but a couple of things would help.

Anyone finding this thread who knows anything, please take the time to post.

And the people who have already posted please get pictures to me of your wares so I can post them, up here. We don't even know what this stuff looks like.

You can either send to me direct to me here

peteradmin@theclayartist.com

or upload the pictures direct onto the website in a new submission (which I will transfer over to this thread) go here:-

Photo submission form.

As with other mysteries of this type, I feel sure that by working together we can solve it. We have had some amazing results time and time again on this site, so let's work together on this enigma wrapped inside a mystery.

Peter (admin)
ASRO Germany Pottery Garniture Mantlepiece Set
by: Garnet

Hi Catherine

We have a three piece china set by ASRO with the elephant with a bird on its back. We are trying to sell it on ebay.

It is clock with two vases, they are all marked ASRO and the elephant with a bird on its back, But the clock and one vase is clearly marked Germany. So I think the ASRO china must be made in Germany {ed: At least sold in Germany - ASRO might be a Retailer's or distributor's mark}.

ASRO Ceramics China Porcelain

We would like to know the history of ASRO too.

Can anyone help with any clues?

Kind Regards

Garnet
ASRO Wreath Porcelain Mark WIth Elephant and Mahoot on its Back
by: Peter (admin)

Hi Garnet

I think you did a wonderful job uploading your pics for all to see. I used a couple of your photos to head this page, as we didn't get any from Catherine and then all of them together to go onto your post.

This is the first I have seen of the mark and the wares as Catherine never did send in any pics. About the mark I would say it is not a bird, it is a Mahout (Elephant trainer) wafting a stick or "cheru kol" (short pole).

This brings up yet more possibilities for this mysterious ASRO pottery marking. Think about the actual design of this pottery mark....

Why use the Elephant driver with a stick as an image? It conjures up links with either India or, alternatively Thailand where elephant training is rooted in the culture also.

Then the items themselves, they look very much as if they could have been made in the German porcelain tradition possibly around the turn of the 19th/20th Century, but also could be half a century later (and could easily be Far East production too). Maybe someone who knows about clock mechanisms can identify when the clock could have been made.

Great work Garnet. We will solve this one sooner or later.

Any comments, please feel free to post below.

Peter (admin)
ASRO Elephant Mahout Marking Backstamp on Cup, Plate and Bowl
by: Henry

Hi,

I have a complete china set 115 pieces, by ASRO. this set were purchased at an antique store, by my great grandmother in Mexico.

She use to collect high quality porcelain. My grandmother told us that this set is the most expensive china set her mother bought.

i would like to know more about the history of ASRO.

Below are my pictures.

Henry

Asro cup plate bowl

===========================

Peter (admin) says:-

Many thanks for adding to the clues to this mystery mark.

The clue from you is to confirm this stuff is old - and well made (your Great Gran's best china).

Another clue is the purchase of it in Mexico of all places. SO the immediate thought is is a South American porcelain maker? The word 'asro' means nothing in Spanish or Portuguese, so along with the fact we know this stuff has a made in Germany backstamp it discounts this theory

Let's keep on trying to solve this one. Any comments, write in below, any photos post here:-

Photo submission form.

Peter (admin)
bird sitting on elephant's back
by: Noel ( Ireland )

I also have a fine bone china porcelain full tea set with the logo;bird sitting on Elephant's back!! tea set has an old man and a younger woman on all pieces of porcelain.

See photos below...

I got this from my Mother(R.I.P.)who died last year aged 99 yrs.She told me She got this ( second hand )as a wedding present!She also told me a priest offered her 250 Irish Pounds for it back in 1950. Q. can anyone help?


asro satsuma style set





asro satsuma style set - detail 1





asro satsuma style set - detail 2





asro satsuma style set - detail 3




asro satsuma style set - detail 4





asro satsuma style set - detail 5



==============================
Comment from Peter (admin)

Noel

Great photos, many thanks. I have posted them on your comment. This set is in the style of Japanese Satsuma, but is clearly not 19th century, but a 20th century copy. The fact that this Asro brand appears to be made in the Far East as well as Germany suggests an early to mid 20th century distributor or even retailer. The wares seem widespread and varied, but there are no records of the name anywhere either in reference books offline, or online, apart from on my website.

Still a mystery, I’m afraid.

Peter
ASRO in Mexico
by: Benjamin

Hello

Here in Mexico we used to be ruled by Maximilian Habsburgo in 1864. Whit him many German, Austian and Hungarian royalty came to Mexico whit fine porcelain and many others luxiries items.

When our reform war ended many of this families stayed in Mexico. Probably that's the reason why they are so much of this pices here.

I know it because I´m the owner of a tea set of this porcelain completed cover in silver. And it is a heritage from one of the last Habsburgo members in this country when he died in the 80's.
SMALL MANTLE CLOCK
by: ROSIE

i HAVE A SMALL MANTLE CLOCK WHICH I BOUGHT AT A BOOT SALE WITH THE ASRO MARKINGS. I AM REALLY INTRESTED IN THE HISTORY OF THE PIECE AS IT IS VERY PRETTY WITH PINK FLOWERS AROUND THE CLOCK. GUESS WHAT ALSO IT IS WORKING AGAIN.
What a Mystery Mark
by: Lynn

I just found this forum and this one got me really curious. from my looking around online I found that "ASRO" seems to be a Surname. It is seems to be found a lot in Indonesia and Malaysia (hence the Elephant with rider). I have also found mentions of the name in Lithuania, Romania and Poland(there was a famous actor named Alexander Asro from Lithuania). So I am thinking it is a company from Eastern Europe, Possibly Poland or even Eastern Germany.

I find it very odd that the same factory would produce Satsuma like pieces and traditional European style pieces, so I am thinking that ASRO is a trading or import company and not a factory. They probably contracted with outside ceramics companies to produce pieces for them with their own mark on it( pretty common practice in the 30's, 40's, and 50's).

Judging by the look of the pieces pictured I guess they are from the 30's, 40's, 50's range.

I personally have not done much research on companies in Eastern Europe in the early to mid 1900's but I understand finding any information on companies from former soviet states can be incredibly hard. I know the Soviets destroyed many of the glass and ceramics companies in the countries they took over after WWII so a lot of the documentation and history of these companies has been lost.

I hope my guesses might help point someone in the right direction.
Getting Closer..... !
by: Peter

Lynn

I think all your points are sound.

I agree with everything you said. I guess we're getting closer to knowing about this mark now.

Thanks for you thoughts and sharing your research!

Peter (admin)
asro china value.?
by: Shana67

I have asro china though it does not hold the elephant mark, rather a small simple crown in red outline with asro china foreign unerneith with the two red stars, one either side of the lettering. My collection is small and incomplete. Seven tea cups, four saucers and four side plates. Its really quite old though I know not how old. Is this china valuable at all.? Please phone me on 07594156308 ideally text first as I may not answer unknown numbers. Thanks people.x Shana.
Asro china marking
by: Catherine Ireland

Hi reading with great interest all the posts on my original query about my great aunts RIP beautiful china set. I,m sorry now that I did,nt ask her more about it but know she got it as a wedding present around 1910. I have finally sent some photos of same , so sorry for delay but had forgotten about my query until I was cleaning out the press and decided to once again try to find out where the china came from. Looking forward to any further information. Catherine

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