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1930's - 1940's - 1950's
Beaded Scenes, Carpets, Birds,
Petit Point, Fabric
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Vanity Accessories |
This owner was even fortunate enough to find the same company that made the replacement piece. Can you tell which one came first, the bowl or the saucer? I can't. Today, interior decorators are mixing so many different styles in complimentary colors, that mixed patterns in porcelains and china have become conversation pieces. Speaking of china........ is it okay to mix porcelain with bone china when replacing, completing or creating sets? No, it is not. If you have a delicate Limoges cup that has lost it's saucer, do not replace it with bone china. The two materials are not the same, nor is the quality always equal. Fine porcelain is more distinguished and refined. As lovely as bone china is, it should only be paired with bone china. The same standard applies to semi-vitreous china, ceramics, stoneware and pottery. Can you add a metal cover to a porcelain base? Mixing metal and porcelain is usually not advocated. There are a few instances when certain types of porcelain pieces may have included a metal element, such as a flower frog, but for the most part, porcelains bottoms usually had porcelain tops. The problem is finding a really great match for your porcelain bottom particularly when it involves specialty pieces like a humidor, ink well, jam jar, covered urn, chocolate pot and covered pitchers and syrups, to mention a few. Take a look at this interesting marriage I recently discovered.
The owner describes this piece as a Nippon humidor or canister and we know that those pieces would have had porcelain tops. This marriage, however, is quite innovative. The brass lid does fit snuggly, maybe more than it should, but it has an Asian blossoming lotus pattern which compliments the flower on the porcelain base. Unfortunately, this type of marriage can have a serious effect on buyer interest and the overall worth of the piece in comparison to it's original value. What about marrying pieces from different countries? This detail should not be a serious consideration unless you are a purest at heart. Remember that porcelain painters for over 150 years have been buying their white ware blanks from different areas of the world. They paint their blanks and put sets together at their own discretion. It is very common today to find antique porcelain sets, in their original condition, that have pieces from different locations. Can you marry pieces that are painted by different artists? Matching hand painted pieces is always a lot of fun but also challenging. Don't try to match pieces by the artist signatures, it's a blessing when you can. Instead, work on matching the artistic style along with the colors of course. Many china painters trained in factories that produced very similar styles of artwork. Several years ago I purchased four gorgeous hand painted dresser pieces that seemed highly priced and they were presented without their dresser tray. At first, I thought I would never find an appropriate tray that could possibly do justice to these pieces. About a year later, I found a tray. The colors matched so perfectly that I couldn't believe it wasn't the original tray. When I married the five pieces together, I thought the two different artists must have sat side by side while they were painting. If it weren't for the different artist's names, I could not tell that the tray is not original to the other pieces. Since then, I have found two additional charming pieces to compliment the set. I am happy to share some photos with you.
Truthfully, I never thought I would ever own a porcelain marriage. Most dealers, including myself, know that porcelain marriages simply don't carry the same value as their original counterparts. Common sense dictates that to be accurate in almost every instance. So how do you know what your porcelain marriage is worth? The estimated value can be determined by the remaining worth of the original pieces, along with the individual value of each added piece in accordance to how well they look and fit together. It's not an easy thing to determine and all pieces must be in pristine condition in order to maximize their values. The day I purchased those four dresser pieces, I broke my own rule about buying incomplete sets but they were so incredibly beautiful that I could not resist them. When just the right tray came my way, I realized something that I had not appreciated before, that the ideal porcelain marriage is truly made in heaven. I hope this article is informative and helpful. Comment about this Article: antiquepeek@comcast.net
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