Featured Identifying antique decorative vases

Here are the photo’s of all sides. Both vases/urns are identical (so a mold was used) so I pictured one of them!

They feel cold and definitely sound like earthenware, so glazed terracotta is was it is I guess. Still needs craftmanship to make a mold like that I guess!

And the beautiful shadows I mentioned are indeed just dirtiness . So how would you clean these, looks like a long job because of all the relief.

 

And the rest of the pictures. The mark is the same on both vases/urns “546” so doesn’t help with identifying I guess.

 

The numbers look extremely similar to Johann Maresch who happens to be a terracotta sculpture. Most markings contain JM though.

 

Thank you for the photos, very enlightening. They look so very different from the ones you posted before, great job. It just goes to show how important good photos are.
From these photos I think we are looking at possible German ceramic vases, and as you say, they are glazed.

 

The number is stamped with ready made punches. Many manufacturers used them to indicate model codes.

 

True, but they have like the exact same size and format. Probably maybe thousands of these. The photo I found was on a top with an image searcher. Also saw that he did make some vases with the same color for example. At least, its worth a try

going to look into Germany to! Why do you think German?

 

It certainly is. Bohemia is also one of those regions that was heavily into "Historismus" historic revival, of the Renaissance for instance.

The 'heavy' look of them, and I have seen pottery like this from German manufacturers. And Germany was very much a Historismus as well as a pottery region.

I am not a pottery expert btw, but my mother was, and a bit rubbed off on me. There are true pottery experts on the forum, and they will be along later.

 

Those numbers are absolutely typical of Austrian and some German pots. Even without seeing the base, those much better pictures make me pretty sure that’s their origin. Late nineteenth.

I’d wash them. Put a towel in the sink in case you drop them. Warm water, washing up liquid and an old toothbrush.

 

Just got some more info on the vases. My grandma (93), who had them for like 50-60 years got them from her aunt who inherited them from her father (so my grandma’s grandfather). How or where he got them is not known, but that would definitely make it possible that those vases are approximately 100+ years old

Since the absence of a company or makers mark, but the presence of a numerical mark (probably a style number). Does anyone here have good tips on identifying these vases. Like websites which have a lot of info on style marks for example. as mentioned before, I do see a lot of German work with only numerical marks so I will probably focus on German companies and makers. So if there are any useful sources which are focused on German ceramics that would be even better! Her grandfather came from Assen (the Netherlands) by the way, so that’s also pretty close to western Germany which indeed often had only numerical marks.

Thanks in advance!

 

There's a couple of European Pottery groups on Facebook with members who know German and Austrian pots rather well.

 

Thanks! Just found one specifically for east and western Germany! Let’s hope someone there knows more

Any group in particular you recommend?

 

I think the style is so similar to that of Raeren. Of course mine is not since it’s not a jug and probably a lot newer. But the figures in the middle and the “layered”(don’t know how to call it) like style of decoration is so similar.

but I wonder what companies made pieces to very much resemble his work?

 

They are 'in relief', bas (low) relief.

 

thanks! But I actually mean how it’s styled in some kind of horizontal layers of elements. So with my vase for example, at the bottom are flowers then some decorative elements, then the cherub figures, then leaves, than some figures that I think are supposed to be insects. I haven’t found many vases in the same colour as mine and with that design

 

In my world, engraved gems, when a design is arranged in layers like that, each layer is called a 'register.'

 

Ceramics with figures in relief bands were also made in Roman times, and probably before that. The potters of Raeren just continued a tradition in the style of their time, and your maker did in the style of his time, which was a Revival style (but not of Raeren ceramics).