A lot of people have ramekins that were made in Japan. They began to arrive in Australia after the Trade Agreement between the two countries was signed on the 6th of July 1957. Australia thus became the first country to trade with Japan after World War II. Because of the standard of living in the respective countries at the time, trade was mostly one way for manufactured goods. The signing of this agreement began a shift in Australia’s reliance on Great Britain, with Japan quickly becoming Australia’s most important trading partner. Initially, their ramekins were copies of existing Australian makers with a few decorative changes. This was common practice for the times as many Australian makers copied other designs anyway. Copyright compliance in Australia was viewed somewhat more flexibly than today. Many Japanese copies were of Martin Boyd designs. That is why I have added this item.
It is sometimes difficult to trace the makers in Japan as they would make up western names to add to their wares. Now, most marks have been washed off over the years. Others simply had the word “Japan” stamped on the base, or “Made in Japan” moulded into the base.
Some of the identified makers are:
Whitco. Not to be confused with the door furniture people, Whitco made ramekins that were very similar to the later Ray Cook and Bendigo Pottery their brown glaze was close to the Bendigo glaze, but the ramekins had a much more sculptured and comfortable handle. I think that the thin glaze was applied on purpose to make people think that they were an Australian product, because no Japanese potter worth his salt would produce anything as shoddy.
Grizelle. They also appear to be a copy of some of the Martin Boyd ramekins of the time. Or maybe Boyd copied Griselle, who knows? Grizelle was a West German exporter, who rebadged many West German Pottery pieces and marked them as Japanese, Australian & New Zealand, producing pottery during the 50's and 60's. The German and Japanese potteries both produced export wares (a lot were for the souvenir market) and both exported to Australia and the US (probably UK too) The Australian pottery produced utilitarian ware and figurines for the domestic market. Just where this pottery was located, or if an existing maker produced them is not known. There are many different marks and stickers found on the German/Japanese/Australian versions suggesting that these were produced by different potteries rather than from a distributor selling wares from 3 different countries. In Germany it appears to have been made by Duemler and Breiden, Hoehr Grenzhausen (impressed crossed lines with DB) and the printed Grizelle mark with Germany. The brand name Grizelle does not appear in any German literature about ceramics of the 1950s (Macus, etc.). The marks (stickers) all have the leaping antelope, sometimes on a gold sticker, sometimes embossed to the base.
Later, ramekins from Taiwan and Korea overhauled Japanese products as Australian makers went to the wall, but that's another story!
Later, ramekins from Taiwan and Korea overhauled Japanese products as Australian makers went to the wall, but that's another story!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteWhat would these ramekins be worth set of six with salt & pepper in original box and new.
Kind regards Ann.
I just paid ten dollars for a boxed set at an antique market. I also recently bought six unboxed at a Salvo store for fifty cents each. There is a set for sale on e bay at the moment and I don't expect them to get much. If you get an offer for anything at all, take it, otherwise give them as a gift to some student setting up away from home. They are great for putting nibbles in for parties. Bear in mind that they are about forty years old so they are twice as old as your student.
DeleteHi , just wondering if anyone knows about 5 Grizelle Japan figurines that look like they're from either grease or Roman males and females two of them still have the silver sticker on the bottom saying Grizelle Japan with two leaping antelope on the sticker.
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