my name is mug
July 22, 2014 7:10 AM Subscribe
Please help me identify these mugs, in the hopes of possibly acquiring more of them.
Once upon a time, many, many years ago, my mom gifted me a set of mugs. They are stoneware (not porcelain), look to be mold-made (not thrown), but appear to be hand-painted/glazed (Asian-style botanical motifs). There's no marking/logo on the bottom.
I've found mugs on etsy and ebay (one, two, three, four) that are similarly sized and shaped (different hand-painting/glazing/designs, though). I've asked the sellers if they have any info on the manufacturer — no luck. Mom doesn't remember where she got them, either.
Photos:
- my set (one, two, three) there were 6 originally, one broke
- mold mark
- with ruler for scale (width, height)
Specs:
- 3.5" tall x 3.25" diameter (excluding handle)
- they hold about 8 ounces (250 ml)
I'm hoping there's a MeFite out there who recognizes these mugs and can clue me in on who made/makes them.
Once upon a time, many, many years ago, my mom gifted me a set of mugs. They are stoneware (not porcelain), look to be mold-made (not thrown), but appear to be hand-painted/glazed (Asian-style botanical motifs). There's no marking/logo on the bottom.
I've found mugs on etsy and ebay (one, two, three, four) that are similarly sized and shaped (different hand-painting/glazing/designs, though). I've asked the sellers if they have any info on the manufacturer — no luck. Mom doesn't remember where she got them, either.
Photos:
- my set (one, two, three) there were 6 originally, one broke
- mold mark
- with ruler for scale (width, height)
Specs:
- 3.5" tall x 3.25" diameter (excluding handle)
- they hold about 8 ounces (250 ml)
I'm hoping there's a MeFite out there who recognizes these mugs and can clue me in on who made/makes them.
Best answer: Otagiri stoneware (one example; another) was mass-produced, and was marked with a gold foil sticker.
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:09 AM on July 22, 2014
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:09 AM on July 22, 2014
Response by poster: @pipeski: Oh, I'm certain they were mass-produced. They have none of the imperfections/character you get with hand-thrown stuff. They're all identical — that's all but impossible to do with hand-made stuff, especially the handles. Plus, you can see the mold marks on some of them. The glaze decorations are definitely hand-drawn, though.
I think Mom gave me these in the '90s.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 9:27 AM on July 22, 2014
I think Mom gave me these in the '90s.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 9:27 AM on July 22, 2014
I think your best bet is to look in Goodwill and other vintage stores. Once styles change, mass producers move on. If there's a version of etsy for wanted items, you could try it, but it's kind of a needle in a haystack.
posted by theora55 at 12:24 PM on July 22, 2014
posted by theora55 at 12:24 PM on July 22, 2014
Replacements, Ltd. may be worth a shot. They have ID help - suggestions to try for yourself and a pattern ID service where you send them photos.
posted by momus_window at 1:10 PM on July 22, 2014
posted by momus_window at 1:10 PM on July 22, 2014
Agreeing with @pipeski. These were everywhere in the 70s and 80s. I'd call this 1970s rustic stoneware. It seemed super popular with the crunchy granola moms and next door neighbors I visited with in my suburban neighborhood back in those days. :)
Here's a google image search results for 1970s stoneware cups, although I don't see yours there off the bat.
posted by vivzan at 1:15 PM on July 22, 2014
Here's a google image search results for 1970s stoneware cups, although I don't see yours there off the bat.
posted by vivzan at 1:15 PM on July 22, 2014
Response by poster: I'm going to give the win to MonkeyToes. Searching for "Otagiri stoneware mug" got me the most similar results. Thank you, I now have a new ebay search hobby!
As an aside, I normally prefer handmade pottery. But I LOVE these little mugs precisely because they're mass-produced — they stack securely (because they're all exactly the same size/shape). Plus they're not too huge to fit in my small cabinets. They also don't weigh eleventy million pounds like a lot of stoneware. I probably wouldn't like them as much if the designs weren't hand-painted.
Marking this one resolved and adding the Otagiri tag to the list, for anyone's future reference. Thanks, everybody!
posted by mon-ma-tron at 3:11 PM on July 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
As an aside, I normally prefer handmade pottery. But I LOVE these little mugs precisely because they're mass-produced — they stack securely (because they're all exactly the same size/shape). Plus they're not too huge to fit in my small cabinets. They also don't weigh eleventy million pounds like a lot of stoneware. I probably wouldn't like them as much if the designs weren't hand-painted.
Marking this one resolved and adding the Otagiri tag to the list, for anyone's future reference. Thanks, everybody!
posted by mon-ma-tron at 3:11 PM on July 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Also, technically, I now have 2 new ebay search hobbies — thanks to umwhat's Tonala suggestion.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 3:22 PM on July 22, 2014
posted by mon-ma-tron at 3:22 PM on July 22, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
The other thing I remember is that pretty much all of those small-scale potters signed their work, or pressed some kind of mark into it. The lack of any such markings suggests to me that the mugs may well be cheap, mass-produced imports.
posted by pipeski at 7:34 AM on July 22, 2014 [1 favorite]