A piece of Majolica; more than likely from any one of the American potteries whose craftspeople brought their skills with them when they immigrated. Many are unmarked - at least with any catalogued or identifiable marks.

The vintage of what you have would be Victorian, the potteries in the US waning with the death of Queen Victoria. It's popularity - and values - wax and wane. Although perfect condition would be ideal for pricing, etc, collectors who want to add this piece to their collections would not be deterred by the crack yours shows.

People like it because it can be a bit quirky; the uneven painting and decoration adds to the charm. That's what drew me to it when I started collecting it back in the 1980's. Lots of companies are making it again today and making reproductions that could really fool you until looked at closely.

American art potteries did not 'wane' at the end of Victorian times. Many companies expanded and thrived until the major decline after world war II. It was still a booming industry here until the rise of the post war Japanese economy and massive imports gradually spelt its death knoll. Yes, this is an old piece and I agree it's likely a piece of Americana and also looks consistent with something produced in that timeframe the previous responder mentioned, or perhaps into the Edwardian. I would like to see a photo of the bottom, how it's finished off is often an indicator of the producer. You can stick another photo here, offloaded from your puter, if you post a follow-up to my post. Look directly under the instructions to post a follow up, and hit browse to copy one.

Also give as much info as you can. There is nothing in the photograph to give a size reference. If I were to consult any sources on this piece, it would be nice to know how big it is, so we can guess its function. That's how they're usually catalogued.

Should have been more clear - potteries certainly didn't die out; the wares produced changed with the tastes current at the time.

Thankyou very much for your replies!

Attached is a picture of the underside of the pot. I will post again with another picture so you can best gauge the size.

It would be very interesting to know what it was made for/and how much roughly it would be worth?

Thankyou again :)

I hope this helps, thankyou again!

Oh yes, I agree duluthinbloomz I gettcha now. It is very helpful when looking at styles and patterns to at least ballpark when they may have been produced, even if one never can get any closer. My family has a long history of being involved in pottery making, and stone and artware are a special love of mine, even though i'm sure no expert. I'll poke around with this one and see what I can find. I really like it.

I'd call that piece a small cache pot and further venture it dates from between the 1870's and the turn of the last century. Millions of pieces were turned out - complete sets of dinnerware to an endless assortment of decorative accessories. America had an appetite for it since it was affordable to the masses and something remembered from the Old Country.

I looked at those pieces of mine I have on display; the Griffin, Smith & Hill are clearly stamped with the entertwined logo or "Etruscan", etc. etc. The unknowns can have little slashes, swipes, dots, drips of glaze that individual unknown artists would use to identify their own work while in the production, painting, and glazing process. Many have no markings at all.

The grapes, grape leaves and cherubs were a popular theme, as were flowers, fruit, animals, tree bark and vines - nature, in general. Knowing what I've paid for pieces over the years, watched prices go sky high then hit rock bottom, I should think a swing for your piece could be anywhere between $30 and $45 dollars in today's market.