Q: My son-in-law's parents were antique dealers in Akron, Ohio. They are both dead. He doesn't know anything about this figurine, which his parents left to him, but he has a feeling it is special.

A: The mark on the figurine was used by Wittman(n) & Roth of London. The company was in business from 1870 to 1896. Some sources list the company as an importer, but a lawsuit filed in 1884 describes it as a china and glass manufacturer. The suit says that Wittmann & Roth designed a china lamp known as the "Owl" lamp. Perhaps this was the inspiration for the company's owl mark. We don't know why the mark includes only the initial "W" for Sidney (sometimes spelled "Sydney") Wittmann, one of the founders of the company. Perhaps this mark was used before Roth joined the partnership or after he left.