Identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
An elegant, square-sided bone china vase featuring a dramatic, hand-painted dragon emerging from swirling ink-wash style clouds. This piece beautifully blends traditional Japanese sumi-e ink painting aesthetics with the refined, translucent quality of mid-century Noritake bone china.
Story
Noritake (Nippon Toki Kaisha) has been a prolific Japanese manufacturer of porcelain and bone china since 1904. This specific square-sided dragon vase dates to the mid-20th century (c. 1960s), showcasing a blend of traditional sumi-e (ink wash) aesthetics with post-war export production techniques. The secondary market for mid-century Noritake bone china is broad but generally soft, functioning primarily as a replacement or decorative commodity market.
Maker / Origin
Unattributed
Condition & Value
Based on the provided description and standard assumptions for this era, the vase is evaluated as being in good vintage condition. Value in this tier relies heavily on the absence of chips, cracks, or significant wear to the hand-painted dragon motif and the delicate bone china body.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
The secondary market for mid-century Noritake bone china is broad but generally soft, functioning primarily as a replacement or decorative commodity market. Buyers are typically looking for specific replacement pieces or affordable, attractive vintage decor. While exact pattern matches occasionally command minor premiums from highly motivated buyers, most single vases of this scale trade reliably in the accessible $25 to $50 range on platforms like eBay, Poshmark, and Etsy.
▲ Verified secondary market sales anchor the $25 floor for single vases of this pattern.
▲ Sales of matching pairs between $62 and $85 establish a clear per-unit ceiling around $40-$45.
▲ Striking mid-century sumi-e dragon motif appeals to general vintage decor buyers beyond just Noritake collectors.
▼ Unverified physical condition — any hidden chips, hairlines, or wear to the painted finish would drop the value below $20.
▼ High volume of mid-century Japanese export porcelain keeps the general market ceiling low.
Best Venue
List the vase on a broad secondary marketplace like eBay or Etsy with a Buy-It-Now price of $45 to $50, allowing room for offers. Ensure the listing title includes 'Noritake,' 'Bone China,' 'Square Vase,' and 'Sumi-e Dragon' to capture both brand collectors and general vintage decor buyers.
Upside Potential
If a highly motivated buyer is actively seeking this exact discontinued pattern to replace a broken piece or complete a pair, a premium listing could potentially realize $60 to $80, though this requires a longer holding period.