Fruit Tree Pottery Mark

by Judy
(Arkansas)

Fruit Tree Pottery Mark (on mainly orange and white Japanese or Chinese dish):- This was in a box of items that I got at an auction. I have looked for this mark for over a month now and can not find out anything about it. It is a small saucer and has two cranes painted on the inside center. This maker's mark is the only mark on the piece.

I would welcome any help I can get about this piece of porcelain.

Thanks!

Judy

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

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Reply by Peter (admin)

To:- Fruit Tree Pottery Mark (on mainly orange and white Japanese or Chinese dish)

Hi Judy

Great pictures of the wares as well as the mark.

I am not an expert on oriental wares, but I know the basics.

This lovely dish has the appearance of what could be either Satsuma ware or Kutani ware. Satsuma developed as a later style of a particular type of Kutani ware (Kutani Shoza c.1816-1883).

Roughly speaking, Kutani style has orange highlights and often has geometrically panelled decoration on plates and dishes (just like your dish), whilst much but not all of the Satsuma ware we see in the West tends to be on baluster vases and is identified by very small intricate enamelling and tiny dots on more asymmetrical scenes of people and places (mixed in with geometric decoration and panels).

It is a complicated area for us non-experts and I am sure my over-simplified explanation above would have an expert gnashing his teeth, but Kutani is often explained as wares originating from Kaga (Ishikawa). However, expert potters moved away from this area to ply their expertise.

From what I have observed there are far too many small Kutanui makers to be fully catalogued in all but the most detailed and weighty expert book so most all purpose valuation experts lump these makers into the general labels of 'Kutani' or 'Satsuma'. However, any valuation expert worth his salt must be able to look at an item and give an accurate assessment of the date in order to value an item.


So you see how the actual maker of a piece might be less important in terms of valuing than the make (i.e. Kutani) and the age of the piece. The other factor in terms of value is for whom the item was made. Was it an exquisite item made for a rich patron, or was it knocked out for export dollars and commerciality?

Looking for the balance between the artistic pride of the maker and the need for speed is always the key in terms of valuing antique Japanese or Chinese wares.

You need to look with your eyes and get a sense of the item first and foremost before looking at the mark because more often than not the mark on items that find their way to Western homes will be meaningless in terms of identifying the studio which made the item.

So your dish looks very much like the style of Japanese Kutani (or Satsuma) ware which can be worth quite a bit.

Hopefully someone else will know more, failing that go to my expert referral service for vintage and antique china values

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Peter (admin)

p.s. The following page is a 'must see' if you are self-researching fine china - for value and identification:-

Researching the identity and value of antique and vintage fine china.

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