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Beehive mark on a plethora of porcelain

Q. This is a photo of a pair of porcelain Austrian vases. Each is decorated with medallions of classical figures and signed in gold with the name “Kauffman.” Each scene is only on the front and surrounded by a dark green glaze and trimmed with gold, and each vase has gold handles. The pair is 8 inches tall and 5 inches wide. Marked on the bottom of each vase is a beehive shape with the word “Austria.” Also there are several numbers on the bottom of the vases.

Any information that you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

A. The mark you described is often called a beehive mark. It originally was a shield representing the Hapsburg family coat-of-arms in Vienna and used from 1744 to 1864. People mistakenly looked at the shield mark upside down, thus the name beehive. The mark has been copied by numerous porcelain factories throughout the years. The classical scenes are transfer prints of original art by Swiss-born artist Angelica Kauffman. She was an 18th century artist who painted neoclassical scenes.

Your Austrian vases were made around 1900 and the pair would probably fetch $325 to $375 in an antiques shop.

Q. I have enclosed the mark that is on a set of dinnerware that I inherited from my grandmother. It is a set for eight and includes the serving dishes. The dishes are decorated with pastel flowers against a yellow background and the set is in excellent condition. My grandmother only used the dishes on Sundays and holidays.

Using the dishes always brings back good memories of dinners at my grandparents' home. I hope to pass the set on to my daughter and would like to know more about its maker, vintage and value.

A. W. S. George Pottery Co. located in East Palestine, Ohio, made your dinnerware. They were in business from 1880 to 1959. “Lido” is the name of a specific shape that was decorated with several different patterns. “White” is the name of the pattern. The yellow background is known as canary yellow. W. S. George Pottery Co. became part of Royal China in Sebring, Ohio.

Your dinnerware set was made around 1950 and would probably have a replacement or insurance value of $300 to $500.

• Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.

© 2015, Creators.com

"Lido" is the name of a specific shape that was decorated with several different patterns. "White" is the name of the pattern.
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