Silesia Mark

Q: I have a vase that was given to my father, a physician, as payment for services more than 60 years ago. I’ve been dusting this thing for years, since I inherited the vase when my mother passed. It has a mark with a crown over some letters I can’t read and the word “Silesia.” I would like to know more about the vase so my daughter will be more informed. Can you tell me something about the maker and how old this might be?

A: Your vase was made by Porcelain Manufactory Hermann Ohme, a factory in business in Nieder Salzbrunn, Silesia, Germany (now Szczawienko, Poland) from 1882 to 1930. Ohme had a decorating studio in Waldenburg, Germany. The factory made dinner sets, household, hotel, and decorative porcelain for the European and U.S. market. The company concentrated on export porcelain after 1913, but went bankrupt in 1930 during the Great Depression. The mark includes the letter “O” above a fancy letter “H.” Variations of this mark were used. It was used with “Silesia” beneath it from 1900 to 1920.