Founded in 1908 by an employee of Noritake and over time, further employees from Noritake also joined Meito. Early Meito pieces look very similar to Noritake ware.
After WWII, Meito pushed into the foreign markets for their products and this plate was one such item.
Although Japanese, the design is very "English looking" with pink, white and red garden flowers with foliage and a much bolder blue/yellow outer border finished with edge rim gold gilding.
It's a funny thing, fabulous beautifully decorated chinaware first became available in the late 19th Century from Japan & China which spurred the English potters to produce their own locally produced products - the beginning of the English mass china market. Some 50+ years later here we have a plate from Japan in the 1940's (estimated) looking to sell their "English flavoured" pieces back into the English market. The circle turns but this time, the English product prevailed although there is a lot of "new found" interest in Meito and Noritake products too.
I have looked extremely closely at the artwork and it does appear to be hand decorated (very high standard work) as each section of graphics is slightly different to any other, even the border is not consistent all the way around. If this was transferware it is unlikely to have these inconsistencies.
That said, the backstamp does NOT have HAND PAINTED within it. I suspect the HAND PAINTED text, which was very common, was used as a marketing technique in later product releases by Meito China.
MEITO CHINA Salad or Cake Plate (we always referred to it as a our cake plate although it could be used for salads)
Made In Japan
Salad or Cake Plate
White porcelain base
Opaque (you cannot see through the piece when held to the light)
Hand decorated
Cream background colour
Design is English garden flowers with foliage, enclosed within a strong bold border of blue/yellow and gold gilding edge
Central circle (brown colour) is not gold gilding and within this circle is the bright white base showing
Octagonal shape
Measures 200mm
BACKSTAMP DETAILS:
MEITO CHINA
(Stylised crown)
MADE IN
JAPAN (Green print under the glaze)
CONDITION:
Overall very good.
NO discolouration
NO crazing
NO decoration wear
Very slight (light) gold gilding wear to the edge rim - this is VERY light!
Based on when & where we got this plate originally (family estate) and the age of similar pieces offered to us, we would date this plate in the period late 1940's ~ 1950's
