Origin:Japan (likely; similar to Noritake/Mikasa hotel and giftware)
Materials:Bone china (fine porcelain), transfer-printed border decoration, hand-applied gilt to rim and handle
Age:circa 1980–2000
Condition:Very good (no chips or cracks visible; gilding appears bright; not officially graded)
Value:$5–$20 (single cup, no saucer; auction)
Maker's Marks / Writing:No maker’s mark visible; base not shown.
Date:2025-09-09 05:30:51.973778
Description:
A small demitasse/espresso-sized cup in fine white bone china with a fully gilt handle and rim. Around the upper exterior runs a neoclassical transfer-printed border in dark slate/charcoal with a repeating arch/guilloche motif and small cartouches; at least one cartouche centers a tiny red crown. The cup sits on a short footring; interior is plain white. No saucer is shown.
Curator Questions
Curated by Jade
Assessment:
A decorative late-20th-century demitasse cup with classical border and gilt handle. The design and execution—ivory-white body, dark border banding with a crown cartouche, and bright intact gilding—are consistent with Japanese bone-china giftware and hotelware from the 1980s–2000s. Without a maker’s mark or the matching saucer, collector value is modest, but it remains attractive as a replacement or mix-and-match piece.
Individual Images:
whole item
Provenance:
No provenance provided.
Condition:
Very good (no chips or cracks visible; gilding appears bright; not officially graded)
Identification Score: 72%
Form, decoration, and finish clearly indicate a modern bone-china demitasse cup with neoclassical transfer banding and gilt handle. Maker cannot be confirmed without the underside mark, hence not higher than ~70%.
Authenticity Score: 85%
Nothing suggests this is a reproduction of a rarer antique—it appears to be an original late-20th-century production cup with factory-applied transfer and gilding. A word about fakes.. in porcelain, high-end European marks are sometimes copied, but single modern demitasse cups are seldom forged; still, without seeing the base mark I reserve a margin of uncertainty.
Image Memory Note
Single image shows a small white bone-china demitasse/espresso cup on a light-colored table. The cup has a rounded body tapering to a short footring. The handle is looped and fully gilt, with a bright metallic gold finish; rim is also gold. Just below the rim is a dark slate/charcoal horizontal band with a repeating neoclassical motif (small arch/guilloche or scalloped pattern). Centered on the visible face of the cup is a white/grey rococo-style cartouche containing a small red crown emblem; a tiny dot or motif appears below it. Interior is plain glossy white. No saucer is present. No underside mark or text is visible in this image. Condition appears clean with no visible chips, cracks, or crazing; gilding looks intact with minimal to no wear apparent under the lighting. Notable features to remember: red crown in cartouche, grey/charcoal border band, full gilt handle and rim, short footring, demitasse size.
Keywords
demitasse cup, espresso cup, bone china, neoclassical revival, gilt handle, transfer print, crown cartouche, Japan, Noritake style, vintage tableware
The report was edited after initial Artmink draft. Original AI draft preserved in Artmink audit history.
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