Got this Enamel Vase today, not sure who the maker could be. Could someone help?

[Jarac84]

Got this Enamel Vase today, not sure who the maker could be. It's very nice and want to have an idea where to look unless someone recognizes it. There are 2 identical marks on bottom.

 

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[Clay Diggins]

I don't think that's enamel. It appears to be a glazed high fire vase from the mid 20th century. I can't help you with the maker. The marks appear to be a model, lot or design designation.

 

[proudscot]

i believe that is a japanese satsuma vase. found a few similar pieces on the internet. Maybe around 1910-1920.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I could see why you might think that proudscot. I'll give you the reasons why I don't think that ID fits in this case.

There is no Satsuma mark. I've handled a lot of Satsuma and I would expect to see at least a circle with a cross in it even if it was a forgery.
This is a genuine Satsuma mark:



Satsuma is almost always signed by the artist, quite often in gold. The gold highlights often seen in Satsuma are actual gold gilding. This vase has a gold colored glaze, not genuine gold. Genuine Satsuma ware will always have a very light yellow clay base, this one has a pinkish clay base.

Satsuma uses fine overglaze enamelling on an already fired and glazed vessel. The piece shown has a single glaze firing with no underglaze. The underglaze on Satsuma is part of the design ground and is never completely covered. This is because the off white base glaze shows a fine craquelure texture pattern that is a beautiful contrast to the smooth bright enamel overglaze decoration. This contrast is one of the defining characteristics of Satsuma ware.

Satsuma was never high fired. Gently tap the top edge of the vase with a piece of flatware. If you hear a *tink* sound it can't be Satsuma. Satsuma is always low fired clay and it will have a dull [thud] sound when tapped. This is a good place to start with identifying any pottery along with the clay color and fineness.

Look closely at this classic late (1908) Satsuma bowl and I think you will see how the points I made here are easily identifiable in a genuine Satsuma piece.