Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Look on the base or bottom of the item for marks. Determine the type of mark on the item -- incised, impressed, painted or printed. The Italians incised or impressed older marks, marking the clay body during manufacture. Incised marks are cuts into the clay, often by hand; impressed marks used a tool or metal plate. Old marks under glaze were often blue because the cobalt color held up well in firing. As an example, Agostinelli dal Pra used the blue hand-written "A/D" with an asterisk from about 1887 to 1952, reports Ceramics.it website. Marks that are more recent are printed or stamped on the bottom of the ceramics.
Observe the details in historical perspective. Importers used "Made in Italy" on ceramics in response to the 1921 revisions of the U.S. tariff laws. You seldom see items prior to 1921 with the "Made in Italy" mark, but many ceramics imported since then continue to have only "Italy."
Check the decoration of the item. Italians are famous for majolica, a shiny tin glaze often with raised areas emphasizing the design. Hand painting is typical of Italian ceramics. Tiny details on hand-painted ceramics were 19th century style. By the 20th century and through the first part of the 21st century, all-over designs with large splashy strokes and less control signify recent production.
Ask the provenance or history. Although you cannot always accept verbal history, it may give you a clue as to how old the owner believes the item to be. If the owner had relatives who emigrated to the U.S., they may have brought items not made for export with them. The maker may not have marked the item with the country of origin although production was after 1891.
Use the books. Excellent marks books exist to assist the collector with identification and determination of era. Ralph and Terry Kovel developed some of the first general marks books, but new books for studying Italian ceramics marks by del Pellegrino and others contain specialty information for determining the age of your items.