Does anyone know about 'Imoto' backstamp?

Hi All

I have a tea set with this backstamp. Does anyone know anything about the manufacturer? Date? It seems a bit chunky to be anything other than Japanese mass produced?? Also not sure whether it's hand painted??


The tea cups have a geisha girl's head impressed in the bottom.

Thanks

Laine

 

Impressed in the bottom or printed so that light comes through and her face is visible?

 

A bit too neat to be handpainted - IMHO

 

Both impressed and visible when held up to the light. Does that mean something then?

 

Yes - the image at the bottom is called a "lithophane" which often appears on Kutani ware. There is one odd thing though. Lithophanes are usually done on very thin china - and this piece looks anything but thin.

 

Thanks for that information. Do you know anything about the manufacturer or date please?

 

No - could not find an "Imoto" entry in the Gotheborg site (but I did not have time to look at every page yet.) The geisha lithophanes often show up in ware brought back by US servicemen post WWII.