Old Japanese Vase turned into a Lamp
This is a lamp that appears to have originally been a vase or jar of some kind. The elderly previous owner of our house gave it to us when we bought the house. She said it was an antique, and that's about all we know about it at the moment. As you can see, the lid was drilled through to accommodate the light fixture, and the bottom was drilled through to allow the electric wiring to pass through. The ceramic is attached to a wooden base and a wooden top or lid, both of which have been drilled through to accommodate the electrical parts. The wooden base has a number stamped into it twice, which is 80 506 FT The ceramic is 14" high x 6" wide. If we include the wooden base and wooden top, it is 16" high. The lamp parts add another 3-3/4" When the wooden base is removed, a "JAPAN" sticker can be seen on the bottom of the ceramic. There is quite a bit of crazing on the surface of the ceramic (Please enlarge photos to see this.) Thank you for your kind assistance in helping us find out what this piece is, and what it's worth. Very appreciated!
unknown
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Yes
Good morning, Mike,
Thank you for using Mearto for your appraisal inquiry. The Japan sticker denotes a 20th Century manufacture; though the squared baluster shape of this is very characteristically Asian (you see that form in Chinese and Japanese porcelains all the time), the decoration has a very Western aesthetic, making me think that this was made to be exported to Western buyers. The markings on the base look to me to be pattern numbers, such as would have been used widely on vases of different sizes. There are likely markings on the underside of the vase that identify the maker but they are now hidden by the wooden base or have been drilled through in the process of wiring the lamp. It can be risky to take the wooden base off (it's often glued) and I would only recommend that if I thought the vase was very old or the quality of the decoration particularly fine to elevate this to a much higher value level.
Based on the photographs and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
A vintage Japanese hand-painted squared baluster vase
20th Century
With floral decoration on a cream ground over a banded lower border, now mounted and fitted as a lamp. Bears an oval JAPAN sticker on the underside of the base.
16 inches overall height
PROVENANCE: acquired as a gift
$ 125-175*
*Represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, and thank you again for using Mearto.
