Antiques & Collecting: Amphora pottery

Collectors use the names “Amphora” or “Teplitz” for art pottery made in the Turn-Teplitz region of Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

The best known and most elaborate examples are decorated with applied three-dimensional figures in an art nouveau style.

An Amphora piece might look like it has trees growing out of it, an animal’s tail wrapped around the neck or base, or a human figure holding on to the rim or reaching for fruit on a molded branch.

Here, a stylized octopus appears to sit on top of the vase, with two of its tentacles forming side handles and the rest trailing down the vase’s pear-shaped body. It sold for $6,600 at Morphy Auctions.

Early Amphora pieces, made before World War I, are higher quality, look more interesting and tend to get higher prices.

What is bone china? Is it another name for porcelain or something different?

Bone china is a type of porcelain. It is made by combining clay and minerals with the ash left from burning animal bones.

This makes it stronger, thinner and more durable than hard-paste porcelain. It has to be fired at higher temperatures and is more difficult to make.

It was first made in England in the late 1700s, when European ceramicists were trying to replicate Chinese porcelain.

Some historians think bone ash was first added to the clay due to a mistranslation of a French description of Chinese porcelain making.

Although bone china was made earlier, the words “bone china” started appearing in marks on pieces in 1915.

Tip: To cover a scratch in wooden furniture, mix a paste of instant coffee and water and rub it into the scratch. Another quick fix is to color the scratch with the proper color crayon.

Current Prices

Steiff plush cat, Cosy Sulla, Dralon fur, gray and white, swivel head, green glass eyes, pink stitched nose and mouth, red bow, name tag, button in ear, c. 1967, 9 x 12 inches, $75.

Animation cel, Mighty Mouse, hand-painted background, from the television series, Filmations, c. 1979, 9 x 21 inches, $110.

Toy, Arthur A-Go-Go Drummer, tin, plastic arms and head, bushy red hair, cloth jacket and pants, battery-operated, reproduction box, Japan, 10 inches, $215.

Sewing box, whaler made, mahogany, 3 graduated tiers of drawers, whale ivory pulls and pegs, 1800s, 9 1/4 x 9 x 6 1/2 inches, $470.

Furniture, table, Cityscape, chrome-plated steel base, rectangular, round dark gray glass top, Paul Evans Studio, Directional, c. 1975, 23 x 24 inches, diameter. $2,375.