Q: What can you tell me about this bowl? The mark on the bottom is "E.W. Donath." The bowl appears to be hand-painted in green with red poppies and gold trim.

A: Edward W. Donath (1871-1938) was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1893. He worked as a china decorator for Pickard China Co. until 1887, when he established his own decorating studio in Chicago. Later he went back to work for Pickard for a time and then reopened his own firm, E.W. Donath Studio, in 1905. He was listed as "a dealer in decorated china" in the Pottery, Glass & Brass Salesman, an industry periodical, in 1918. His studio closed in 1928. The mark on your bowl is one of the marks used by E.W. Donath. Because Donath was a decorator and not a manufacturer, his pieces usually have two marks, a Donath mark and a maker's mark. Donath is a listed china painter, so your bowl is worth $125 or more.