Please see avatar - can anyone identify this signature? I have a lovely footed ceramic bowl that was my mother’s- about 7” high and 8” in diameter. Interior is a vibrant sky blue glaze and exterior is cloudy blue with a circle of crested birds. Gold trim on foot, band, and top and birds are gilded too. I’ve always thought my parents bought it in Israel in the 1960’s (partly because I think the birds are hoopoes). But I showed pictures around at an Israel at 70 celebration at my synagogue and no one recognized it, plus the signature isn’t Hebrew.
After a quick perusal online, I found a number of pictures of numbers on the bottom of pieces and they are all 30/XXX. So the 30 must mean something other than what I’m used to on lithographs.
The other bowl looks like it is brown inside. Yours is prettier.
My speculation is they just put random numbers on the bottom to make it seem less mass produced and more artisanal? I’m no pottery expert but at least with prints the numbering is supposed to mean bowl #30 out of a series of 196 or 146, whatever that number is.
So based on this, I think the “30” must identify the artist, and the bottom number the piece. Then there’s Elbee’s name, and the bottom word is Italy (easier to read on the bowl in @doschicos link). Antiques Roadshow indeed.
