Designer
|
Not known
|
Maker
|
Not known,
but if I had to guess, I would say Grizelle.
|
Marks
|
Small black
stamp “japan” on base of ramekin and saucer.
|
Material
|
Glazed
slipware
|
Description
|
Set of six ramekins with lid and underplate
(saucer). Traditional shallow bowl
with stem handle and steam hole to underside. White exterior to ramekins with harlequin interior with colour
matching fitted lid and underplate. Gloss glaze to entire body including
circular foot ring. Spur marks to
base.
|
Condition
|
Excellent
|
Number
|
No number
|
Production
Date
|
1960s
|
|
Ramekin
|
Lid
|
Saucer
|
Width at rim
|
93mm
|
95mm
|
150mm
|
Width at Base
|
48mm
|
75mm
|
80mm
|
Depth
|
50mm
|
15mm
|
20mm
|
Length (with
handle)
|
140mm
|
Weight
|
160gm
|
Volume
|
250ml
|
Acquisition
|
Purchase
Vinnies
Boronia
5th
Feb 2013
|
Rameking
Reference Number
|
MMUJ001-018
|
These days it is almost impossible to find a little treasure like these little
beauties. Thanks Anthony for the
tip. I have buckets of Japanese
ramekins and I should really put them on the blog because they really do deserve
a place of their own. 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 nation 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 because these are such “an homage,” except way
better made.
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, like these, simply
had the word “Japan” stamped on the base, or “Made in Japan” moulded into the
base.
Grizelle. 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 it is a gold sticker, sometimes embossed on the base.
Later ramekins from Taiwan, Korea and latterly China overtook Japanese products as Australian makers went to the wall.
