Lithophane Tea Set

Q:I have four cups, three saucers and six lunch plates with a motif of bamboo and two owls sitting on a branch. When the cups are held up to a light, you can see the image of an Asian woman on the bottoms. The mark on the bottom of the plates is the name “Nakashima” with a wreath and writing inside the wreath. Can you tell me what these are and what they’re worth?

A:You have part of a Japanese lithophane tea set. Lithophanes are porcelain pictures made by casting the porcelain in layers of various thicknesses. When a piece is held up to light, a picture is seen through it. Japanese tea sets were popular souvenirs brought home by American soldiers after World War II. Several Japanese companies used wreath marks with an initial inside the wreath, but the best-known is Noritake, which has been in business in Nagoya, Japan, since 1904. A teapot with a set of six plates, cups and saucers comprises a complete set worth $150. Your partial set is worth under $50.