Nippon Miniature Tea Set

Good day dear Friends,

Welcome to Leisure Lane.  Last post I mentioned that I discovered a very pretty tea set I had packed away in my closet.  Well, today I am very happy to share it with you.  (If you’ve been to this post  previously, you will notice that I’ve replaced a couple of photos, as I’ve found the lid to the teapot – yea!!  It was very well hidden in the wrapping paper which it was stored away in.  I thought it came with one, but it’s been packed away for so long I couldn’t remember.)

This is a miniature, or perhaps a child’s,  Nippon porcelain, hand-painted set,  found in a gift store I used to work at.  I just adored the colors and the beautiful design, so I bought it.

When I purchased it the handle of the teapot was missing, and one of  the sugar bowl handles had been repaired, but since I intended only to use it as decoration that didn’t matter to me.  What mattered to me most was the design and colors.

The only information I could find was that Nippon means Japan, and represents a time period in which porcelain contained the mark of Nippon.  Production of Nippon porcelain began in 1891 and was exported to America until 1921, when a tariff was imposed stating that all items must be marked in English, and since Nippon was considered Japanese it was no longer allowed importation.

All Nippon was totally hand-painted until 1904.  Which means that this set is from 1904 or before.  Isn’t the design and hand-painting lovely?  Notice the thick application of dots and strokes, especially on the lid.

The violets with the green and cream colors are very pretty together, calming, and a delight to enjoy.  I hope you’ve enjoyed them, too.

I wish you all a delightful day, and until next time, may happy days abound.

Marianne

Note:  Information for Nippon history was taken from the following link;  a guide to collecting antique Japanese pottery.   http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/japanesepottery_sfoa.htm