Assistance needed on a Vase

[cbaker327]

Can anyone help out with this piece. I do not know much if anything about this type of thing. This was found going through some old family items.

[ironlord1963]

   Is the art, Handpainted or Decal Transfer print?  It appears the Embellishments are hand painted but curious about the Art on the side.  Also what is the Height of the vase.  This is a unique looking vase with a victorian style motif and art.  Keep in mind that Victorian Style art has been used even into today.  Thanks for posting.

[cbaker327]

It is 6 inches tall and the portrait and paintings of the flowers appear to be hand painted on. There are no markings that i can find anywhere. My thoughts are to put this on e-bay however until I know more about it I will not feel comfortable doing that.

[Oceans64]

No help on the item but I do have another question I am curious about -  maybe Ironlord can answer... 

Is there any history of these vases being commissioned to paint the image of a loved one on the side or was that their purpose to begin with?  The customer could come in an pick and already designed vase and an artist could paint a pic of a wife (let's say) on the side?

[ironlord1963]

     Good question for sure Ocean, but not sure I can answer that with any real answer.  I would think it would be something that would happen from time to time, but would of really been for the few and rich before the early 1900's.  I do know that alot of Limoges pottery was done this way as far as painting floral designs.   As for the vase, without markings one is hard pressed to find the artist or manufacture of your item.  Without careful hands on touch and feel kind of thing the age could be hard to pin down.  This style has a long history and one thing to note, the really high end pieces are usually marked.  As for value at Ebay I would say the the uniqueness and if Handpainted with out history one would be looking at $50.00 tops IMO.

[cbaker327]

Maybe I will try to find a local antique dealer and see what they say. If $50 is tops I may just hold onto it. I understand seeing in person and seeing just pictures means a lot. Thanks for taking the time.

[mariok54]

Hi Cbaker,
Have you taken a very close look at the base, maybe with a loupe? There may be a faint impress mark somewhere on it. The neck opening looks very irregular, but I'm not quite sure what significance that might have.
It looks to be a pretty little 'posey' vase, and some more close-ups might be useful, especially of the base and artwork.
All the best

[wendy177]

Cbaker,  Your piece is a Portrait piece produced by Nippon, It is of Madame Lebrun and is a self portrait piece. It is a decalcomania,or transfer print of her original self portrait. Almost every portrait featured on Nippon was a transfer print obtained in Europe because it was felt that the Japanese artist would have given Japanese features to the faces. Madame Lebrun was a French portait painter with her work in the Versailles museum, She painted Queen Marie Antoinette and her children  , she was a painter of royalty until her death. All the background work on your piece is done by hand by a Nippon artist. 5 percent of these works  are either unmarked or bear other various marks. Pieces like yours have brought prices of $900.00 and higher. Nippon can range into the thousands so I would check your families items carefully for more!!!!!! Beautiful find!!!!

[sapphire]

Way to go wendy!! Great sleuthing, info and advice!

[mariok54]

Well done Wendy!! How did you manage to identify such a small portrait?

Building on your work.... The following link takes you to an auction, with Lot 21 having the same portrait, but a wealth of Nippon pieces. If you click on the link below the header then you can also see the hammer prices.

http://www.forsythesauctions.com/120405/120405_1.html

[Oceans64]

WOWOWOW Wendy!!!!  Truely impressive!  Very nice catch!

[hosman321]

You'll quickly learn that the research geniuses around here are wendy and sapphire. Sometimes I just scratch my head and wonder how they did it. Way to go! Beautiful piece, by the way!

[cbaker327]

Thanks everyone for the advice and information. It is greatly appreciated.

[wendy177]

Thanks all   Nippon , Noritake & Limoges are  a FEW of my favorite things!!!   I was also lucky to inherit a large library of antique books from my mother who I enjoyed collecting , researching & selling  antiques with for many years of her life. They are all out and housed right by my computer. Sometimes the answers are as easy as opening a dusty old book.