Dear Colleagues,
 
In the course of my research on cesspit-containance from four major
towns in the Netherlands (Deventer, Dordrecht, Nijmegen, Tiel) from
the period 1180 AD- 1914 AD, I sometimes come across an exotic
industrial whiteware.
We find teapots, cups and saucers that are marked with: MOTIYAMA,
MADE IN JAPAN. It is a black transferprint-mark with a flowerbasket.
The quality of the fabric is white, fragile and chips
easily. The leadglaze is clear. It is decorated with underglaze
blue. On the glaze it usually has handpainted flowers in pink, yellow
and buff, with golden stripes. The date must be somewhere 1840-1880.
 
Can anyone tell me if this is indeed Japanese, or comes from
somewhere else? Is there any literature on MOTIYAMA? What was the
status of Japanese imports into Europe in the last half of the 19th
century?
 
thanks in advance,
yours,
 
Michiel Bartels
 
[log in to unmask]
ROB
Kerkstraat 1
3811 CV Amersfoort
the Netherlands
fax: NL-33-653235
phone: NL-33-634233