Japan

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 6^th 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.