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Hello to all!
I have a tea set. It's from my grandparents. So I think it's older than 60 or 70 years. That's all I know. Have a look at the pictures.

All dots are not simply painted but like a relief. I can feel them with my fingers.
The mark doesn't look like chinese or japanese. I can't find it or a similar one in any database.
What is it? A fake? Please help me!
Kind regards,
Lutz

Hello Lutz,

You are right about the mark; it looks like Arabic or something. You never know but I never heard they made this outside Japan so I keep it on Japanese for the moment.
This kind of ware is called Kutani dragonware or (because of the girsl) Geisha girl porcelain.
The decoration you can see in the bottom of the cup is called "lithophane" . The story is that they started making it after the invention of the teabag in the late 1930's.
The kind of decoration with those dots (made with slip) is called; moriage.
My guess for a dating -based on a rather simple execution (sorry) and the rather modern faces of the geishas- would be around 1960.

Best regards,

Arjan

Arjan likely right about when made, maybe later.

Grandparents can buy things extremely late in life, or have given to them when aged.

Original 'lithopane' much more subtle, cannot see except shine light through, not see in bottom cup like posted here.

Good luck,
Cal

Thank you for your anwers.

Made in the 1960ies. A mystery...

My grandfather died in 1956, my grandmother in 1972 in the age of 87. I was rather shure, that she had not bought the tea set herself and I could not imagine who should have given it to her as a gift. Even my oldest brother - he is 60 - could not remember anything like this. So I thought it was older than 60 years.

It seems that nobody has seen a mark like this before? And the evidently irregular moriage and the rough lithophane? A sloppy work? A cheap fake?

Best regards,

Lutz

Not 'fake'. Just mass-made porcelain, not very old.

Original lithopane tea sets also mass-made in molds for export to West. Curiosities, no special artistic value. Decoration in same factories, large numbers very low-paid people.

Good luck,
Cal

the writing is sanscrit from Thailand.
This is probably Thai made, mid 50's.
Japan stopped making those in the early 60's China made quite a few fakes but usually they fake the original ones such as late 1800's japanese with specific artists stamps etc. This is probably just a trade item. The Geisha itself is not a the best quality, check this link, I think your's is called Pensive Geisha.
http://www.lithophane.org.uk/japanese/japanese.html

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