Hi - can anyone please assist to identify this item? I have looked online and can only come up with possible "exportware" - I don't know date or purpose - possibly sauces or sweets? There are 9 interlocking dishes with very nice painted crabs and seaweed. Bases are unglazed with a faint red stamp on some.
Thank you!
Looks as if it could be late Qing dynasty or early 20th century.
Peter, thank you for your reply, I really do appreciate it. May I ask if you have any idea of what these dishes are intended to be used for?
Here in the Far East these are assumed to be for condiments or various small amount of dishes or perhaps sweets. For example, the Chinese often eat at round tables with the family members (or other guests) seated around it, taking they dishes they want to eat from chargers or large bowls and dishes in center. It may also be for sweets or other items. This likely would only be used when many people are together.
Thanks again Peter - do you know what this red stamp on the bases represents and do you think the term exportware is correct for this set?
Looks like something accidentally came in touch with this.
Thank you - about half of the dishes have this light partial stamp. I appreciate your feed back anyway.
Cheers.
Perhaps the set was placed on something that bled through, maybe you can put the set upside down and see if maybe a pattern forms, could it have been a napkin or a doily or something that got wet and therefor bled through to formed this pattern.