Topic: Ornate Cream Color Porcelain Heart Shaped Divided Dish w/ Unknown Maker's Mark

[ModernMinstrel]

I found this dish at a charity shop.  It is made of a roughly textured cream color porcelain.  I'm not sure if it is old, but the back stamp intrigued me.  Does anyone recognize the stamp?  The dish measures approx. 8" inches in diameter.  I'd love to know more about it.  Thanks for your help.

[ModernMinstrel]

Hello again to all.  It's been a few days since initial posting.  I was really hoping someone on the board might have a reference book on pottery to help identify the maker's stamp on this piece or any opinions one might have a date or use. Please, please help!  Thank you.

[Potterycat]

Hello over there!
I understand you are a little bit frustrated, but here it is a doubt if your dish is german as Mettlach, Mitterteich (for example) or genuine american from 1860-1880.
I have seen the symbols (MM) before, but not together with the big A.
Wait and see, what other nerds also have to say.

[ModernMinstrel]

Thank you for your reply.  I saw the marks above the "A" more as a graphic device or symbol rather than letters; like mountains. Perhaps?

Is there a name for this type of off white, rough texture porcelain?

[Potterycat]

The pottery Listvinahus (founded 1927) at Reykjavik, Iceland have nearly the same as their graphic device. An example, a vase of Einar Gudmundsson, can be seen here:
http://www.20century.eu/decorative-items/deco-html/DC-235.html
The text in the link also talk about Glit, but this pottery is an another, founded 1958.

That example was off topic, but perhaps interesting.

I shall ask a friend what he think about your dish. But I suppose that more collectors will be incoming here, after their holidays for this summer.

Do you have checked this?
http://www.oldandsold.com/pottery/usa1.shtml

[ModernMinstrel]

I don't really see any similarity between the marking on the piece from Iceland and the one I've posted, but I've found that people's perceptions of things are sometimes very different.

Yes, the pottery marks link you posted is a valuable asset for collectors.  I use it for reference often.

Is there a name for this type of rough texture porcelain? Or possibly it is not porcelain and some other type of material.  I'm not sure what you can perceive from my posted photos.

[Potterycat]

In searching of potters and potteries it is often a advantage to be open for all possibilities and then put impossibilities away. What is remaining then, is worth to dig for.
The mark for Listvinahus was only an example to show symbols between MM or MMM.
Them, togheter with the big A in a circle will perhaps tell manufacture and town, or potter and manufacture.

You asked for the material, and I will compare it with the products from Villeroy & Boch in Mettlach, whis have been discussed in the swedish forum:
http://precisensan.com/antikforum/showthread.php?6767-Stengods-med-flerf?rgade-leror-ID-Villeroy-amp-Boch-Mettlach-Tyskland&p=212864&viewfull=1#post212864

The big ask is: Are the dish american or european?
Wait for more input from other, please.

[Potterycat]

One more example - about the material and then from England:
http://precisensan.com/antikforum/showthread.php?30373-Stengodskanna-med-rik-relef-ID-Minton-Stoke-upon-Trent-England&highlight=kanna

[Jakjo]

Hi,

IMHO the cabaret dish looks new and fits well into the shabby chic-style. The decor is the famous silverware pattern known as King's Pattern. The regency silverware was popular in England from about 1820.
https://www.google.com/search?q=King's+pattern&rls=com.microsoft:sv:%7Breferrer:source?%7D&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADBR

To me it doesn't look like biscuit porcelain, but perhaps it is some sort of burnt, partially glazed flint- (cream-) or stoneware. It is hard to tell from pictures, but quite easy IRL. Is it a bit transparent when you hold it against a bright light, it is porcelain.

I think it is a pseudo-mark, used to deceive us to think about old and well established porcelain makers and potteries, but in fact it is produced in a sweatshop pottery in Asia.

Best regards,

Jakjo

[ModernMinstrel]

Potterycat, thanks for that link.  That piece does have a very similar look to the material.  I can see the bit of roughness and a bit of a gloss or sheen to the glaze.

Thank you Jakjo for the pattern ID.

[ModernMinstrel]

Kind of reminding me of this type of pottery:  http://www.antiquepottery.co.uk/index.pl?isa=Metadot::SystemApp::AntiqueSearch;op=detail;id=105514;image_id=241330;

[Potterycat]

Yes, all links is good example to compare with, but in this case I will agree with Jakjo.
The dish seems to be old at the first sight, but the bottom overall says modern.
Well maded, and that is something important to learn in the collectors life.

[ModernMinstrel]

Found it!  The mark is from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Here is the one I found:  http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Salt-Glaze-Reproduction-Six-Section-Plate-MMA/29740894

Thank you so much for your efforts in helping me.  It is truly appreciated!

[Potterycat]

Wow! Well done in searching!
MMA for this museum at replicas, that was news for me.

And Jakjo was right.  

[Jakjo]

The real thing!

Heart Dish
Date: 1740?60
Geography: West Midlands, England
Culture: English (American market)
Medium: Stoneware Dimensions: Diam. 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm)
Classification: Ceramics
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Russell S. Carter, 1946
Accession Number: 46.64.9

http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/10003318?rpp=60&pg=1&ft=dish+stoneware&pos=59

[ModernMinstrel]

Nice job!

It's always such a relief to me when mysteries are solved 

[Anne]

Excellent result, well found. I was thinking it might be a modern replica but have been a bit tied up so not had chance to search much.