Sometimes a trip to the 2nd hand store can be so surprising, as the things you find can turn out to be far more interesting than you first thought. Such was the case of the lovely Japanese piece below. I thought it was just so beautiful and different that I thought it worth buying. I am always attracted to the different or unique and I thought this piece was all of that and more.
With the aid of my Sis, we found upon searching on Foogle, similar porcelain pieces overlain in silver of a similar weave, and that this is most likely a Japanese Meiji period porcelain bowl, that period in Japanese history dating from 1868 to 1912. There are not many pieces to see online, and all those we saw were actually small vases not bowls. As you can see the silver woven overlay is done in a flattened wire pattern with little crimped spots like joints in bamboo. The piece is unmarked, (except GW left marks on the bottom with a indelible marker I was unable to completely remove.)
I was extremely surprised to find that this was such an old piece, tho I knew at once that it was Japanese. It is not a large bowl, being only 6" x 6", about the size of a cereal bowl. I have no idea as to its true value or exact age?! We saw prices for the vases ranging all over the place, from $300 - $1,100. I am no Japanese porcelain or pottery expert on any level. I just loved the piece and was happy to get it for $7.
This picture is a bit deceptive as it makes this plate look the size of a dinner plate, when in fact it is the size of a teacup plate. You know me by now, I can't pass up a bit of well painted delft, so into my cart it went. It was only .99 so I felt it worth it.
This little piece was a bit humorous to me at first because when I saw it I mistook it for an old bedpan, and I thought to myself, "Who would make a piece of delft look like a bedpan?!" ha ha ha
Of course when I picked it up and looked at it closer, it was obvious it was a Dutchman's cap. Oh I did feel silly then and was happy no one was there to notice my mistake. At $3 it was worth the laugh and a jump into my cart.
I keep telling myself to stop buying Delft shoes, but sometimes I just can't help myself, they are so well painted and adorable. These two I also only paid $3 a piece for and so they shall join their fellow shoes upon the shelf.
I found this faux old rustic handled and slotted milk bottle carrier and thought it had such possibilities for use. Besides I'm itching to get going on a nice crafty project and whitewashing this or painting it bright colors might be just the thing?! It is just the right size to put old square bottles or canisters in to carry forth, or maybe paint supplies or even small stitching projects?! At any rate at $2.99, it was a good deal and so I got it.
I just fell in love with this little spoon display rack the moment I laid eyes on it. I have several old baby spoons that belonged to my hubby's mother and grandmother, as well as a few from other places, and I thought this rack just the thing to show them off. To my surprise when I went to do research on it I found this type of painting is not, Tole painting as such, but a much earlier form of painting brought to this country from Norway by immigrants and is called, "Norwegian Rosemaling." It is very distinct in its style, with the flowers and vines and beautiful cross hatching motif at the top. I was so happy to find in tiny little letters the name of the artist, "Lucy", on the side of the piece. Also the small box at the bottom is lined, with a removable cut and soldered copper box to fit. The spoon rack was $2.99 and will make a nifty addition to my new studio or house. I encourage everyone who is interested, to look up Norwegian Rosemaling for it was a delightful craft which spread from Norway to other parts of Europe and is the basis of the Swedish and Dutch art form of similar craft we see on our early Colonial pieces from Pennsylvania and other early colonies.
It was the inspiration of our present day Tole painting and is still to this day a wonderful craft.
Here is a sweet little example of the tole painters art. These lovely little wooden hearts grabbed mine and so I thought that I would get them. They were just .99, I couldn't resist them, so into the cart they popped. It is so true, "Home is where the heart is." A very sweet saying for a very sweet price.
At the last, for the same low price of .99, I found another Asian figurine stand and thought why not, I need some of these for my collectibles and am always happy to find them at such a good price.
This stop at the GW was really fun. Sometimes it can feel like the store has gone crazy. The music's too loud
and the patrons too wild, but such was not the case this time, and I must
say I enjoyed it hugely. I got to find a few things, do research with my Sis when I got home, which led to me learning some new things. I love researching items and adding to my knowledge base, it feels so rewarding. The world is full of fun and interesting things to learn, and life is good!
Comments