Talavera Puebla Mexico Miniature Pottery Vase
A cobalt blue and creamy beige (maybe once was white?) hand painted pottery jar that I believe is Talavera style pottery from Puebla, Mexico. It appears to be very old which is know is vague but it doesn't look like a recent tourist trade piece or anything of that sort. There are little pinholes all over and one teeny chip on the rim. Otherwise no major cracks or damage I can see. The bottom rim shows the red clay it was made with. There is a makers mark on the bottom. I got it at a store near me that often has Mexican pottery pieces that I assume came from leftovers of an estate sale of someone who collected this beautiful pottery. I plan on selling myself and want to be able to price and describe the origin with confidence and honesty, hence why I am here.
3 inches by 3.5 inches
Secondhand Store
Yes
Hi Morgan,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
Despite my earlier inconclusive research into Talavera pottery, the expert I showed this to, and one of their friends who is a specialist in Mexican pottery, both confirmed that this is Talavera, which originated in Talavera de la Reina, Spain in the 15th–16th centuries and was influenced by Islamic (Hispano-Moresque) ceramic traditions and Italian maiolica. The technique was brought to Mexico in the 16th century, where it evolved into Talavera Poblana, centered in Puebla.
YOUR vase is believed to be 17th Century; unfortunately, there hasn't been enough scholarship to identify the maker by the mark on the bottom so I can't say who made this but the blue and white decoration is characteristic. It often depicts birds or flowers, and the fish-scale (this is called embrication) decoration is unusual.
Larger vases or urns with more complex decoration have been selling at auction for less than $500 these days; given the small size of this vase, I would expect it to bring between $75 and $125 if sold in a sale with other European pottery.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
An antique Mexican Talavera Puebla blue and white tin-glazed earthenware miniature vase
17th Century
Of circular section, with cobalt-lined lip, the ovoid body with cobalt embrication and white fields centering flowers, marked underneath.
3 inches by 3.5 inches
CONDITION: This appears to be in good condition with some minor wear commensurate to age and use.
PROVENANCE: Acquired at a second-hand store
$75-125*
*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, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia
The mark is really the place to start - may I show these photos to a red earthenware expert I know to see if he's seen this mark before? It won't cost extra for the outside opinion but might take longer to get a response from him and I need your OK on this...let me know?
Yes that's totally fine with me. I am not in a rush. Thank you. :)
Wow!! 17th century!! That is really neat. I look forward to our next appraisals.
We look forward to working with you again, as it's convenient.
~ Delia
Hi Delia, no need to apologize. I may have jumped the gun on calling it a Talavera piece. I had an antique dealer comment on the vase saying she thought it looked like early Talavera from Mexico. Then the idea was reinforced when I looked at examples of Talavera and saw the other blue and white pieces that look similar (at least to my untrained eye). I also looked it up on ChatGBT (knowing it wasn't necessarily 100% sure) it also said this looked like an early Talavera. So I kind of just stuck with it. So my answer is I cannot say that for certain and perhaps it is European or Asian. Hope this helps. :) Thank you.