BRONZE NIGHT-LIGHT

Q: I have a night-light that has a bronze girl on a diving board over colored-glass "water." The piece is signed "Herr Oswald Schimmelpfennig." Can you give me any information about this?

A: Oswald Schimmelpfennig was a free-lance artist and sculpture who did work for Gladenbeck, a foundry in Berlin, Germany. Schimmelpfennig made statues of carved marble as well as bronze. He worked from the 1890s until at least 1933, when he made a bronze bust of Hitler.

HANDKERCHIEF WITH FLAGS

Q: My parents found this handkerchief in a trunk in the 1970s. It is silk and has the flags of six countries in the corners. There seems to be the word "Depose" in the lower right near the scales. We would love to know the meaning of it and its worth.

A: The flags (clockwise from the top) represent Great Britain, Belgium, France, Russia, Serbia, and Italy, countries involved in the outbreak of World War I. In 1914 Germany declared war on Belgium, France, and Russia; then Great Britain and Serbia declared war on Germany. Italy declared war on Germany in 1915. The flag pictured was the official flag of Italy from 1914 until 1917. The men pictured are the leaders of those countries, King Peter of Serbia, King George V of Great Britain, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, King Albert of Belgium, and President Raymond Poincare of France. The woman in the center of the handkerchief holds the scales of justice and has one arm over two girls. The big black bow worn by one of the girls shows that she is from Alsace-Lorraine, part of Germany from 1871 to 1918. Women and girls in Alsace-Lorraine wore bows that were sometimes over a yard wide. Protestants wore black bows, and Catholic girls wore colored bows. "Depose" is French and means that the design is registered. Your handkerchief may have been made to commemorate an event or alliance, or may just have been a patriotic souvenir. It's an interesting handkerchief and a graphic history lesson. It could be worth $50 to someone interested in World War I history.

ROYAL RUDOLSTADT

Q: I have a plate that has painted roses and raised highlights and this Royal Rudolstadt mark on the back. Can you tell me anything about this lovely piece?

A: Royal Rudolstadt is not the name of the company that made your plate. This crown over B in shield mark was used by Beyer & Bock from c.1905 to c.1920. Beyer & Bock was in business in Volkstedt, Thuringia, Germany, from 1853 to 1960. It was founded as a decorating company and began decorating porcelain after 1890. The company was nationalized in 1960 and became Porcelain Factory Rudolstadt Volkstedt. The painted pieces are plentiful and sell for about $25-$50.

RARE AUDREY HEPBURN STAMP SELLS

A rare German postage stamp picturing movie star Audrey Hepburn with a cigarette holder dangling from her mouth auctioned in Germany last week for $93,800. Millions of the stamps were printed in 2001, but the run was destroyed when one of Hepburn's sons objected to the photo of his mother smoking. Only five of the stamps are known to exist, but there could be more out there (an unknown post office employee pocketed 30 advance proofs, but probably used most of them to mail letters). The photo on the stamp was an image from Hepburn's 1961 movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

HUTSCHENREUTER

Q: I'd like to know some history about the manufacturer of this cookie jar. It's 10 inches tall. I think my grandmother bought it in Germany before World War I. This mark is on the bottom.

A: Lorenz Hutschenreuther started a porcelain factory in Selb, Germany, in 1857. Hutschenreuther bought other porcelain factories, including the Paul Muller Porcelain Factory in 1917. A loose translation of the cartouches: "Entwurf" is "design," Professor Fritz Klee was director of the porcelain technical school, and "Abteilung fur Kunst" means "department of art." Klee designed the lion trademark used by Hutschenreuther in 1919.

The jar you have is called a maskaron jar. The maskaron is a grimacing face at the bottom of the jar. A similar jar with slightly more ornate gilt trim was made by Paul Muller. L. Hutschenreuther combined with C.M. Hutschenreuther in 1969 and the factories became Hutschenreuther AG. In 2000 the company was bought by Rosenthal, which is now part of Waterford Wedgwood. Waterford Wedgwood filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2009, and most of its assets were recently purchased by KPM Capital Partners of New York.

RECORD PRICE PAID FOR A ROYAL DIAMOND

High price of the week: A 35.56-carat blue diamond that belonged to German royalty sold for $24.3 million in London. That is the most ever paid for a diamond at auction.

CT MARK

CT Mark

Q: My grandmother always made a big deal about this dish. I am just pleased to display it in my sideboard. Hopefully you can help me settle a long-running family dispute. Is it valuable?

A: Your lobster dish was made by C. Tielsch Porcelain Factory, founded in Altwasser, Silesia, Germany (now Walbrzych, Poland), in 1845. The company merged with C.M. Hutschenreuther in Hohenberg, Germany, in 1918 but the name "C. Tielsch" continued to be used. This mark was used c.1887-c.1934. The double dish with a lobster handle was a popular shape from the 1880s to the 1930s and was used to serve lobster. Value is about $100-$150.

SMF PITCHER

Q: When I was a child I watched my grandmother use this little pitcher, so I know it is at least 75 years old. Can you give me any information about the company that made it?

A: The initials "SMF" in a shield were used by the Schramberger Majolica Factory in Schramberg, Wurttemberg, Germany, beginning in 1918. The pottery was founded by Isidore Faist in 1820 as a stone goods factory and was originally located in an empty castle. It operated under various names and owners until 1912 when it was bought by Moritz and Leopold Meyer and renamed Schramberger Majolikafabrik (Schramberger Majolica Factory). The pottery made majolica, stoneware, and porcelain. The pottery closed in 1989.

ES GERMANY

ES Germany

Q: This has been in my family for years and no one knows what it is. Can you help identify this piece?

A: You have a small teacup or demitasse that is part of the American Indian Series made by the Erdmann Schlegelmilch Porcelain Factory. The factory was founded in Suhl, Germany, by Leonard Schlegelmilch and named after his father, Erdmann. It was in business from 1861 to 1937, making decorated and undecorated porcelain. The American Indian Series was decorated with decals of Indians. Your cup was probably made in the early twentieth century.

CLOCK MARK

Clock Mark

Q: I have a wall-hung, wood case clock with a pendulum and chimes. There is no maker's name on the clock face, but this mark is engraved on the clockworks. The clock belonged to my grandfather, who came from England to Canada in the early 1900s. Can you tell me who made it and how old it is?

A: This mark was used by Gustav Becker (1819-1885), who founded a clock factory in Freiburg, Silesia, Germany, c.1848. The mark includes his initials and an image of the Medaille d'Or (gold medal) that Becker won at the 1852 trade exposition in Silesia. Becker also marked his clocks with serial numbers, which indicate the year of manufacture. (The serial number in 1890 was 800,000.) Gustav Becker's clock company became part of Junghans in 1926, but the Becker name was used until 1936.