Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Far East (excluding China) => Topic started by: rosieposie on October 10, 2008, 03:56:18 PM
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Does anybody know anything about a glass artist by the name of T. Yamamoto who engraves glass plates?
A piece is for sale on eBay if this helps identify it.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/T-Yamamoto-Etched-Crocus-Serving-Plate-1-Signed_W0QQitemZ200237231770QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200237231770
Any information about the manufacturer, place of manufacture and any history would be gratefully received.
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I have a Yamamoto plate much like that one, and it's molded, not engraved. Even so, I'd like to hear about it, too, if anything knows anything.
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OK, I have been on the case, done lots of research and come up with the following:
The plates are made by Hoya Crystal, Japan.
They are lead crystal, and although the plate is pressed, the art work is done by hand.
T. Yamamoto was one of their prestigious engravers in the 1980's and I believe he is now deceased.
These plates were part of a series called Hoya Crystal Art Engraving Series: Flowers. There were several different flowers in the series including pansies, crocus, lillies, gerberas and narcissus.
Some have said that this is part of the Mikasa group, but I can find no substantial evedence for this.
Can anyone add anything to this please?
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I looked, but can't find my plate. I think I may have given it away.
"although the plate is pressed, the art work is done by hand" What does this mean exactly - that it's engraved? Can I ask where you got your information? When I bought the plate (ebay) I thought it might be engraved. When I got it I examined it very carefully and hopefully, but I couldn't find any evidence of it being engraved. It also seems unlikely considering the price they fetch. Yamamoto may have been an engraver, and he may have designed these plates, but wouldn't it be a bit odd to go to the trouble of engraving a piece then use an etched signature? And why engrave something if you're going to etch over the whole design?
Obviously I need a bit more convincing! ;D
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http://www.hoya.co.jp/english/index.html
More than just optics, they produce art. I've seen the Tendence stand some years ago and that was a stunning display of brilliant cut, cast and engraved crystal. And I don't think they are related to Mikasa.
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They need to rethink the crystal website, slow and hard to navigate! But some fascinating pieces... love the overlay glasses and skull range.
http://www.hoyacrystal.jp/product.html?Lang=j
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Hi, don't forget the Daffodil !! John
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Thanks for that fab site IVO......where do you get all your info from? Today you are the 'Glass God' :fwr:
Hello John, that's what 'Narcissus' are.....daffodills!!
Is that your splendid plate? Do you have any more info about them to add to the already mounting pot of fabulous material....the GMB always comes up trumps, doesn't it!!?
Hello krsilber.....When I said the plate was pressed, this is, I must confess, an assumption that they are not hand blown as they are all the same size. Most of the info comes from 'Googling' permutations of the artists name, Hoya, Japanese glass and so on......each site gives a little more info, and leads to another possible thread and source. Googling images also throws up some very interesting auction sites, especially the German ones, where they seem to research their wares very well before putting them on the auction site.......at least, that is the impression I get. It is a very time consuming passtime, prone to disappointment and frustration......however, the odd gem does come up.......although how IVO's link didn't show, I will never know, but it was very late at night, so I probably had my antennae folded by then! :-[
I would still like more info from any source available, and if I come across anything else, I will add it here for those of you who have plates & want more information.
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Thanks for that fab site IVO......where do you get all your info from? Today you are the 'Glass God' :fwr:
He is every day Rosie. :angel: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,19149.0.html (he's way too modest to blow his own trumpet!)
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Hi Rosie, yes it's my plate, bought yesterday afternoon. I thought I would look on here to see if the name had ever been mentioned, and behold !!! your question was there on the site. Just coincidence.
Sorry, only posh people say Narcissus. ;) [and I didn't realise it was the same flower].
Good to learn about these things.
Regards, John.
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They do some very nice cut and engraved glass. Those skulls are pretty wild.
Rosie, you must be a better Googler than I. I found a bunch of example of the plates, the floral ones as well as horses and women's heads, but not the information you found, much less any additional. Sigh.
Now I wish I hadn't give the plate away, so I could have another close look at it.
...I was looking for a couple of the same flower designs to compare, and thanks to John, finally found one. Here's another narcissus plate:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270273480443
Notice that they are exactly the same (as far as I can tell, anyway). This would be very unlikely if they were engraved. Even when there's a pattern to follow, complex intaglio designs vary a bit. Does anyone see any differences I'm missing? The photos are at slightly different angles and the lighting has an impact, but to me they look identical. Maybe they call it "Art Engraving Series" for the same reason other companies call their pressed wares "Intaglio" - simply because it looks like it.
And here's another:
http://cgi.ebay.com/JAPANESE-FLORAL-ETCHED-GLASS-PLATE-by-HOYA-CRYSTAL-ART_W0QQitemZ120312788859QQihZ002QQcategoryZ64941QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122
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Hi Kristi, there are quite a few for sale at the moment, have a look at this one:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360093120785
I think it is possibly the nicest I have seen, lovely pansies, and even has a label.....which is nice!!
I am still researching.....I'm a bit like a terrier in that respect, and will post any other snippets about this here on the thread, although it will be hard to top IVO's contribution.....you are right Anne, he is the Glass God, please can we have a 'bowing down' smiley!!
Hi John, your narcissus plate is super....where did you find that one.....it looks as though you could pick the flowers up off the plate they are so well executed.
I can feel a new collection coming on here, and I haven't got anywhere to put any more......I have just had to put 3 Selkirk Squirrels in the downstairs loo as there is no more window sill space in the rest of the house!! :o
Goodness, it is 2am, I had better get some sleep.....night night all. :sleep:
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Yeah, I saw that one and lots of others. I just posted the narcissus ones for comparison. The prices and the ubiquity are further evidence that these aren't engraved, IMO. Quality engraving is very laborious, and not cheap.
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I was thrilled to wake up this morning to find an answer to my letter to the Hoya Crystal Company. I am posting the whole thing in the hopes that it will be interesting to all.
Dear Mr. R. Pearce,
Thank you for your email.
We think the plate you would like to get information is as following;
In the late 1980’s We started to make the “Flower Plates” which Takehiko Yamamoto engraved with flower decorations.
A resplendent flower associated with each month of the year is sculpted in deep relief on the back of each flower.
There are Narcissus, Crocus, Pansy, Sweet Pea, Carnation, Thistle, Lily, Poppy, African Daisy, Dahlia, Cattleya and Cyclamen.
The diameter is 8 1/2”
If this is not the same as you mentioned, could you please send the picture to us?
Best Regards,
Yumiko Uekado
Yumiko Uekado
Foreign Trade Section
HOYA Corporation Crystal Company
3-3-1 Musashino, Akishima-shi,
Tokyo 196-8510 JAPAN
Fax: +81-42-500-0096
Email: yumiko.uekado@mb.hoya.co.jp
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I will reply to him to ask if it was only the 'original' plates that were engraved or if they all were.
Needless to say, I will post any reply I get
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Isn't it nice to get info directly from the company that made the glass? It sure looks like he was saying they are all engraved. You might in your follow-up ask whether they are engraved using stone, diamond, and/or copper wheels, and whether they were then etched. It's possible there's something lost in translation; being able to pin it down to a specific method would eliminate the potential for that sort of misunderstanding.
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Hi Kristi, yes, I was so surprised to get such a quick reply, and I have written back thanking them and asking a few more questions, so I will keep you all posted. There were a few different ones listed that I hadn't seen before, including the Cyclamen one.....glorious......but I just haven't got room for them, otherwise I would be on a mission to get the set.
I am also looking at Lalique plates, they also made a 'Months of the Year' series, and they were shells and the like. Spookily, the basic plate is the same size, and looks very like the Hoya plate, even the label is the same size and shape.......any info on that one?
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Just popping back to my previous mentioning that I thought Hoya might be related in some way to Mikasa, this is the listing on eBay that led me to think that might be the case.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIKASA-HOYA-CRYSTAL-COVERED-BOWL-EXCELLENT-UNUSED_W0QQitemZ330210748345
It may just be that the pattern of this piece is, coincidentally, called 'Mikasa'.....but I don't know, this is not my field.....give me a glass duck or elephant any day, and I might make a better guess at the maker!!
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I saw another one that said it had a Hoya Mikasa sticker, and showed a photo of it, but the photo was so bad you couldn't read it.
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The connection may be that Mikasa is the trading name of a US retailer of household items (china, glass, flatware, decorative items...) and also a brandname used by the same retailer. Info from United States Patent and Trademark Office
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Hi, I was a procurement mgr for aerospace in California in the '80s and bought optical glass among other things. One supplier was Hoya Glass. As a token of their appreciation one year, I was presented with 2 Hoya crystal plates signed by T Yamamoto. I was told they are of Anemones. I honestly don't know, but they do look like anemones. In 1999, I surfed online for these plates and was directed to a gallery in New York which had 2 sets cited as "Anemones" by T Yamamoto. Their price at the time was $350.00 each. They were described as "Hand etched on the reverse and signed by renowned Japanese artist, T. Yamamoto. I still have them in my glass-front china cabinet. They too have the label still on them, though faded by time. I truly love them and am always struck with the detail of the etching.
I hope this may also shed some light on your subject. I think my email is in my profile if you should wish to comment.
Thank you for your time.
RCW
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Snapped this photograph today:
Signature here (http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-12710)
John
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Well, fancy that, had these for years, never searched on here for them!
Poppy and Thistle ;D
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New member here, searching for these plates brough me here. I am an antique dealer in Winnipeg, Canada.
Thanks for the great information, that letter was especially helpful.
I just acquired the full set on a call yesterday. I have to agree that they are molded... no signs of hand work.
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Hey Canadadan, welcome to the board. I'm also from Canada (Calgary, to be precise). Love those plates (particularly the thistle one)!
Do you hit the travelling antiques shows (Blue Mountain, etc.)
Carolyn
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Hey Canadadan, welcome to the board. I'm also from Canada (Calgary, to be precise). Love those plates (particularly the thistle one)!
Do you hit the travelling antiques shows (Blue Mountain, etc.)
Carolyn
We did all the Blue Mountain shows... but when John folded the show my father and I decided it was time to stop travelling. I'm the new owner of Selim's Antiques in Winnipeg. No expert on anything, still climbing a steep learning curve.
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welcome to the board.
Look forward to seeing more of your glass in the future.
;D
Andy
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Hey Canadadan, welcome to the board. I'm also from Canada (Calgary, to be precise). Love those plates (particularly the thistle one)!
Do you hit the travelling antiques shows (Blue Mountain, etc.)
Carolyn
We did all the Blue Mountain shows... but when John folded the show my father and I decided it was time to stop travelling. I'm the new owner of Selim's Antiques in Winnipeg. No expert on anything, still climbing a steep learning curve.
Yes, the Blue Mountains are missed. Unfortunately I have yet to hit Winnipeg but hope you have good luck with the store.
Carolyn
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Not sure what happened to my last post, If I have double posted I apologise.
I recently procured one of these Hoya Pansy Plates from my brother, who didn't care much for it, though I liked it! I have included links to pics of it as I have it in its original box, with product info card, card display stand with red velvety card to display it on. The sticker on the plate reads "Crystal, HOYA, Japan" though you cant make it out in the poor quality photo, it is the same image as the makers mark on the product card outlined in red in the second link.
There are so many of these plates that it would be unreasonable to believe that he engraved all of them. Also the plate I have even though it looks brand new with no scratches or chips, has a slight imperfection in the base of the plate where the edge looks a bit 'wavy.' If I were to spend that much effort engraving I would make sure the plate I engraved was perfect.
Also on the side of the box there is printed "CDS911" with the letter K stamped next to it. I assume this would be the series (flowers) followed by the style (pansy) but that is just an guess.
Can't say much about the artist I'm afraid, except that his beautiful work speaks for itself, I love this plate and will be sad to see it sold.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g157/neight_2006/HoyaCrystalPlatePansy.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g157/neight_2006/HoyaCrystalPlateBooklet.jpg
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Just as a good bit of info, there is a very nice Carnation one on eBay at the moment:
260677156781
Do have a look...it still has its label and it is a charity shop listing so others benefit as well. :rah:
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Hi all, Thought I'd share this one too. I am not sure if this would be classed as a Daffodil design, especially when looking at Johns plate. My plate measures 29cm dia., 2.2cm in height. This plate is also signed by T. Yamamoto and weighs approx. 410g. If pressed glass, surely would they all not be the same size? I am only asking because I have noticed a variation in sizes on other sites. I have tried to find this pattern floral design but not having much luck. If they refer to the months of the year could anyone tell me which month mine would fall into?
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Looks like a Cattleya orchid. What kind of size difference are you talking? Pressed things can vary a bit in size.
http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Shopping/flower-facts/Cattleya-Orchid-flowers-14
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Hi Kristi we meet again on the Hoya/Yamamoto trail!! Your right it is a Cattleya Orchid
Hi Otis, have a look further back in this link we did way back in 08......can't believe I have been on this trail for so long!!
There is a reference to a letter O wrote to them and their answer....you could contact them to tell you which month the Orchid represented I thought it was November....good luck.
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Love this series of plates. I bought a set of 6 recently with the Daffodils on them. Gorgeous stuff. Hoya Crystal has an interesting history - Alice Cappell, an ex Steuden executive brought the Hoya line to the US in 1985 and helped develop their crystal line over the 10 years that she was with them. Hoya shut down the crystal line in 2009. Happy hunting