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'Moriage' Of Woman And Man Decorates Vase From Japan

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By JAY MOORE

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 5, 2008

I inherited a vase from my parents and believe that it dates from the 1930s.

It is brightly colored, pictures a Japanese man and woman in period dress and is marked "Made in Japan."

What is it worth?

V.P.

Land O' Lakes

It is a Satsuma moriage vase made in Japan during the first quarter of the 20th century.

According to experts, this type of pottery was first produced in Korea and later in Japan (mostly in Kyoto). "Moriage" refers to the raised slip decoration.

The mark "Made in Japan" was used after the U.S. government enacted a law in 1921 that the word "Nippon" (the Japanese word for "Japan") could no longer be used to mark imported goods. Many items are marked with factory names.

It would retail for about $50.

I have an antique music box that plays eight tunes, and I would like to know what it is worth. It has a label under the lid that lists all of the tunes.

It was found in an old house in Galveston, Texas.

J.B.

Richmond, Va.
Cylinder music boxes first appeared about 1840. They were popular for 70 years. Production slowed when disc players became popular.

Most were produced in

Europe; a well-known brand

is Freres.

The problem with antique cylinder music boxes is that

they often need to be restored. Replacing a pin on the cylinder or a tooth on the comb often costs hundreds of dollars. Hire an expert to appraise it.

For information about cylinder music boxes, check out intertique.com and click on antique music boxes. It is an intelligent Internet site with a lot of good information about buying and restoring music boxes.

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