Japanese Kakiemon Porcelain
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GUEST:
Around 40 years ago I was traveling in Japan, and we were in Kyoto. And at the time, they had a marvelous collection of antique shops. And that's where I found these. They're Kakiemon porcelain, but aside from that, I don't know very much more.
APPRAISER:
Well, these pieces were made in Japan for the Japanese market, and used in a special form of dinner called the kaiseki dinner. The Kakiemon family started producing this type of ware in the 17th century. And you probably know Meissen, don't you?
GUEST:
Yes, I do.
APPRAISER:
That's the European later version of Kakiemon.
GUEST:
Right, exactly.
APPRAISER:
These patterns of very, very delicate enamels on a cream background were very, very popular in Europe. You bought these as a group, I understand.
GUEST:
Yes, I did. Actually, it's obvious that the bowls don't really go with the plates.
APPRAISER:
That's correct.
GUEST:
But yeah, I did.
APPRAISER:
Which do you think is older?
GUEST:
Oh, I think the plates are older.
APPRAISER:
Well, actually, no.
GUEST:
No? You're kidding.
APPRAISER:
The plates, if you look at the back...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
...have a mark on them.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Which is a mark characteristic of the mid-19th century.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
These are lovely, lovely, but much more elaborately decorated.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And the enamels are a little bit more harsh than these pieces, which are actually 18th-century. The gentleman sold them to you as a set, right? Right. And there were four, correct?
GUEST:
Right, right, four of each.
APPRAISER:
Well, normally in Japan, these come in sets of five or ten.
GUEST:
Five, right.
APPRAISER:
Actually, four is not an auspicious number in Japanese.
GUEST:
(laughs) Oh, dear.
APPRAISER:
The character is actually a synonym with something that means death.
GUEST:
(laughing) Oh-- should I get rid of one?
APPRAISER:
No, I don't think so. What's exciting about these is that you have four 18th-century beautiful floral dishes. And if, in fact, you had brought these to me ten years ago, each of these dishes would have been worth about, oh, $1,000 to $1,500 apiece.
GUEST:
You're kidding.
APPRAISER:
Now, what happened is, about 1988-1990, before the Japanese bubble, these 18th-century pieces were highly sought-after. Now they're worth about, oh, I would say $500 apiece. And the 19th-century examples, which you thought were earlier, are actually worth about, oh, $200 apiece. The entire collection would now bring, at auction, about $2,500 to $4,000.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
A little bit more than you paid for them, I think, right?
GUEST:
I think I paid, what, $400?
APPRAISER:
Yeah. (laugh)
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
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