Owner fond of porcelain family heirlooms
Q. I have enclosed a photo of a pair of porcelain vases. My husband remembers seeing them on his grandparents' mantel, and later on his parents' mantel. They have been in his possession since 1961. Each stands about 7 inches high, and is decorated with pastel flowers and trimmed with gold. They are in mint condition. Marked on the bottom are the words "Laurelton Ware - Fine China - F/CO - Fondeville - New York."
I hope you can give me the value and some history of our vases.
A. You have examples of Laurelton ware. Eugene L. Fondeville was registered as a porcelain distributor in 1942 in New York. Fondeville and Co. distributed Rochelle Fine China and Laurelton ware, two lines that were made in the United States. In addition, it distributed Embassy ware, Ambassador ware, Paragon bone china, Burleigh ware and Susie Cooper ware, all produced in England in the 1940s.
Your pair of vases was made in the early 1900s and would probably be worth $50 to $100.
Q. This mark is on the bottom of a porcelain pitcher that I bought years ago. It is decorated with a young woman in relief, stands 5 inches tall and is in flawless condition.
After all these years, I am wondering whether it has any value.
A. You have a small milk pitcher that was made by Royal Bayreuth porcelain factory. It has been located in Tettau, Bavaria, Germany, since 1794. Your pitcher is part of its Nouveau Lady series that reflected the art nouveau movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The series included dresser sets, pitchers, candlestick holders, baskets, bowls, toothpick holders and vases. The images can be recognized by the graceful young women in relief and the curvilinear designs that were inspired by nature. All pieces were finished with a white satin glaze. The Nouveau Lady pitchers were made in three sizes, a 4¾-inch milk pitcher, a 4-inch cream pitcher and a 6½-inch water pitcher. Over the years, Royal Bayreuth has used several different marks. The mark on your pitcher shows it was made around 1900. The factory is still in business.
Your circa-1900 pitcher might be worth $150 to $300.
• 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.
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