Can Someone Help Me Remember The Term for This?

It's a Japanese shallow cup or bowl with a face on the bottom. I'm not thinking of a lithophane cup which is flat and has no relief; these actually have a 3D face on the inside bottom of the cup.

I actually sold one a while ago, and for the life of me I can't remember what they're called.

Googling leaves me with mostly lithophane results. I did find something called a double faced sake cup, but it seems that on those the 3D face is on the outside, not the inside.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Something besides just embossed? I didn't find anything.

 

Tie.dye.cat, I am hoping that you get an answer because it will probably be an answer I need. I have a small (with handle) cup and matching saucer just like you described which has a "3D face on the inside bottom of the cup." The "3D" face in mine appears to be a geisha.

Does yours have any marks/lettering?

Mine has words printed in English. On the bottom of the cup it says "Japan" and on the bottom of the matching (scenic) saucer it says:
"Nik O Niko
China
Handpainted
Made in
Occupied Japan"

My cup stands 2" high without its saucer and measures 1-3/4" across at the upper opening/rim. Measured across the widest part of the body of the cup and including the small handle it is 3-1/8" wide. It is a lightweight, translucent china and has a lovely, clear "ring" when lightly struck.

 

Yourturntoloveit,

I don't recall mine having marks on it. I sold it well over a year ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on details, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't marked.

The lightweight translucent description of yours sounds more like a lithophane. The one I had was pottery (I think).

I'm going to go dig out my old flash drives and see if still have a picture of it somewhere.

 

You don't have to go to any trouble for me . . . unless you have time to spare.

I'm headed now to find info on "lithophane" cups.

 

Nah, no trouble...it's been eating at me...lol.

I didn't find it on my flash drives, but I found the email I received when it sold and I just have it listed as a sake cup. I thought there was a special name for it. And I guess the face is on the outside of the cup, unlike what I was remembering. Here's an example of one....

 

Is this similar to what yours looks like yourturntoloveit?

 

I was just getting ready to write you again and say:

The bottom of the saucer is smooth within the outer bottom rim. Inside the bottom of the cup various portions of the face and hair image(s) are both raised (thicker) from the inside bottom and smooth with the inside bottom.

That image is "sort of" what I see in the bottom of my cup but the image in mine is larger, sharper, and a bit "darker" in the "thick/raised" portions of the image.

The lady in my cup is a bit larger and happier/sweeter looking and there is more "definition" between the image and the surrounding "white" of the bottom of the cup.

 

Sounds like a lithophane to me also.