You flip over a pretty old dish, hoping for a famous name, and instead you find "Gesetzlich Geschützt" stamped on the bottom. It sounds important. It is, sort of. It just isn't a maker's name. Here's what it means and how to read the rest of the marks on old German porcelain.
Our hand painted Art Nouveau dish carries this exact stamp, plus a pattern number and a blue factory mark. $39.
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What it means
"Gesetzlich geschützt" is German for "protected by law" or "legally protected." It told buyers, and copycat factories, that the design or decoration was registered and couldn't legally be copied. It's the German cousin of "Patent" or "Design Registered" on English pieces. You'll also see the related word "Musterschutz," which means "design protection."
Because so many factories and decorating studios used it, the phrase by itself doesn't tell you who made the piece. What it does tell you is that the piece is very likely German or Austrian, and that someone cared enough about the design to protect it.
When it was used
The stamp turns up most often on German porcelain from the late 1800s into the early 1900s, a golden age for hand painted Art Nouveau, or Jugendstil, tableware and decorative pieces. Treat it as one clue among several, though. The style of the decoration, the gilding and the other marks narrow the date much more than the stamp alone.
The other marks you'll find
- Blue underglaze mark: usually the factory that made the white porcelain blank. It was applied before the glaze, so it sits under the shine and can't be rubbed off. Crowns, shields, wreaths and initials are common.
- Red, green or gold overglaze stamp: often added later by whoever decorated the piece, which wasn't always the same company that made it. Phrases like "Gesetzlich Geschützt" are usually in this layer.
- Hand-painted numbers: pattern or decorator numbers, sometimes written as a fraction like "1234 over V." They helped the factory keep track of designs and painters.
- "Germany" or "Made in Germany": after the 1891 McKinley Tariff, goods shipped to the United States had to be marked with their country of origin. Not every piece made for other markets carried it.
- Later factory backstamps: by the mid-1900s, big makers printed full backstamps with a logo, the company name, and often the pattern name and designer. Hutschenreuther's lion with "1814," the year the company was founded, is a good example.
See it in person: German porcelain in the shop
Each one is a single piece, so when it's gone, it's gone.
Hand painted or transfer?
Look closely, with a magnifier if you have one. Hand painting shows brushstrokes, slight variations in color and lines that thicken and thin. Transfer (decal) decoration is made of tiny dots or perfectly even lines, and the same flower looks identical every time it repeats. Hand painted gold outlining, like the fine gold lines on our Art Nouveau dish, is a good sign of quality work.
What to check before you buy
- Run a fingertip around the rim and foot for chips and flea bites.
- Hold it to the light and look for hairline cracks.
- Check the gold. Worn gilding on the rim is normal for age; heavy loss lowers value.
- Tap it gently. Undamaged porcelain gives a clear ring, while a crack usually sounds dull.
Care
Wash antique porcelain by hand in warm, soapy water and dry it right away. Keep pieces with gold trim out of the dishwasher and microwave, since both can strip or spark the gold. For more tips, see our guide to caring for vintage finds.
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Keep reading: How to Read Pottery and Porcelain Marks · What Is Limoges Porcelain? · How to Date Japanese Porcelain by Its Mark
What's the most surprising thing you've ever found stamped on the bottom of a dish? Tell us!