Featured Japanese? silver dish - can anyone translate marks for me?

Discussion in 'Silver' started by quirkygirl, May 16, 2016.

  1. quirkygirl

    quirkygirl likes pretty old things

    I picked this little (not quite 4") dish up today, because I thought it would force me to learn a little about Japanese and Chinese silver marks. Ha ha ha ... easier said than done :) It is silvery-metal, hammered surface, and has two dragons in relief chasing each other around the rim.

    I think it is Japanese.
    There appears to be the character for silver within the mark on the top left ... but I can't find anything that resembles the other characters. Hopefully, I'm looking at it right-side-up. I also can't find how Japanese silver plate is marked.

    Anyone able to read the mark ... or any part of it?

    Cool thing I noticed while I was photographing it is that the long whiskers on the dragons actually sit up off of the surface of the dish (not sure this is easily seen in the third and fourth pic.) Un-cool thing was seeing how much dried up silver polish there is stuck in all the little recesses. The other un-cool thing is that something caused one of the feet to push up a 'bump' into the concave hammered surface of the dish (as if something heavy was stacked on top of it)

    Thanks for looking at my pics.

    P1090428.JPG P1090430.JPG P1090434.JPG P1090435.JPG P1090437.JPG
     
  2. Hollyblue

    Hollyblue Well-Known Member

    The dragons were made separate from the dish and soldered to the dish as were the whiskers.
     
    quirkygirl likes this.
  3. quirkygirl

    quirkygirl likes pretty old things

    Thanks Holly. I figured they might be and probably shouldn't have used the term "relief", huh?
     
  4. khl889

    khl889 Well-Known Member

    “Watanabe" "Pure Silver"

    Probably Meiji with some value.

    (The name 渡辺 -- to use the character forms now used in Japan -- can be read several different ways, but Watanabe would be most common.)
     
  5. quirkygirl

    quirkygirl likes pretty old things

    Thank you khl889! I was so hoping that you'd stroll by this posting. :)

    I had no idea that it was possibly an antique .... Wow!

    Not wishing to take advantage of the generosity of you sharing your knowledge ... and I know we don't talk values here ... but in your opinion would it still be desirable even with its small damage or would you recommend having that 'bump' pushed back?

    Thank you again khl889! :)
     
  6. khl889

    khl889 Well-Known Member

    Whether or not you should have silver fixed before sale I don't really know.

    But when you see a piece with the name set out on the side in a cartouche like that, it's usually a good sign the name means something.
     
    Mill Cove Treasures and komokwa like this.
  7. quirkygirl

    quirkygirl likes pretty old things

    Thank you - Good to know
     
    komokwa likes this.
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