Featured Porcelain figurine

I’m not sure if the mark on this was partly ground off for some production flaw or trademark issue or if it was just a flaw during the firing but it looks altered for some reason?

I remember finding what I thought was this mark in a 1940 era book on European and Oriental pottery marks as produced mid 1800’s from a French factory but now I’ve lost track where that reference page was and the curve in the crossed swords is different than all my other examples and the quality is not that of Meissen.

 

I can't help, but that is such a sweet piece.

 

I sold one very similar and it was a Dresden Carl Thieme porcelain chocolate box modeled as Marie Antoinette seated in a sedan chair/carriage.

 

I think you are onto something and that accounts for the curve in the swords and probably also why the mark may be partly ground off at some later date.

 

Found the old auction listing https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/159069166_dresden-porcelain-chocolate-box

 

Even if I may repeat myself here, do NOT assume everything was decorated in Dresden just because some seller says so, especially when other users of such a mark family (Samson, Clauss, Bloch, etc.) come into mind.

Wiliam Chaffers (i have the 1903 edition) by the way is not a highly reliable source; his common assumption was that items were actually *produced* in Dresden whilst they were in fact only decorated there. While that may seem irrelevant at first it surely explains his confusion and misleading comments in some cases.

Anyway, the item shown here ... is not "Dresden".

 

Looks like it's imitating a Marcolini Meissen mark from what I can see in the photo.

 

Good to know about the Chaffers, just an added reference to cross check. I have an addition a Kovels marks and monograms too organized better but the reality is between the cobalt mark running and partial obliteration by grinding it’s going to be tough to find a match. Be interesting to know if that could have been done at Butterfields to avoid confusion with Meissen than set aside when it did not sell?

I think it is possible this could have come from a few small factories it has characteristics of a number of different marks including what could be a letter at the hilt and some small remnant at the tips unfortunately all unrecognizable to my eye.