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Hello, I've lived with these plates for many years and always wanted to know more about them (style/age, etc..). They were part of my great grandfathers collection. He collected in the early 1900's with the best stuff going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There are no marks or inscriptions. I can post some better pics, including undersides if helpful. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Kind regards,
Sam

I think these might be Japanese Kutani ware, but whatever they are, they are wonderful.

Lovely things indeed!

Thanks for the info! I always supposed they were Chinese, but this sheds a new possible light on them. A further clue is a sticker from the Antique store which I'm guessing sold them. There is a few characters, but I can't decipher them.

The backs look like they are Chinese after all! How unusual!

hmmmm....the plot thickens. I really hope someone can shed some light . Thanks!

The foot and the label look definitely to be Chinese. This type of plate, with low-beveled foot rim, countersunk center and bits of kiln grit often stuck to the bottom (like the picture shows), were a staple of Jingdezhen during the late 19th century and, as far as I know, were phased out in the early 20th century, when new ceramics molding machinery superseded old methods

The paper label on the back is a type used in the early 20th century. I found a 1907 magazine on Country Life in America republished as a Google book showing an advertisement for the Chinese-sounding firm named He, Chong, Yum & Company, a New York City dealer in decorative orientalia, including dishes (see link for browser pasting below). The label shown in the above photo seems to show what may be a stock or accounting number, the top one possibly "仟" (Qian - banking anti-fraud number for "thousand"), and the bottom one perhaps "數" (shu - "Number", "figure", or "amount"). Others may have a better idea, but I'd take the handwriting to imply this was one of a large lot of dishes in the pattern.

During the early 20th century, it became quite common for US Customs to accept crateload sets of unmarked dishes for importation from China under paper labeling. Thus I would give yours a better chance of being Republic-Period (1912-49) than Qing, which dynasty ended in 1911.

LINK - https://books.google.com/books?id=axkiAQAAMAAJ&dq=He,+Chong,+Yum+%26+Co,+New+York+City&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thanks, Bill, for the informative response!

Hi I think these are definitely Qing bodies but perhaps the decoration is later having been done on blanks.This did happen and either way they are great,they have a real studio look to them and the decoration is very untypical.I would also have said Japanese except for the four toed dragon,99% Chinese,Japanese were three toed with the exception of very rare copies by Japanese studio artists, of Chinese designs yet these look like copies of Japanese designs, curious

Bill, If there were many other pieces in this pattern, I find it odd that in all the years I've been looking at porcelains I have never seen another.

I'd be very surprised if there were sets of this pattern, but maybe ...

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