When you begin to collect or become interested in Satsuma Pottery, you may come across several terms that you are unfamiliar with. One such term which can also be misleading is "Royal Satsuma".
The term "Royal Satsuma" refers to the type of Satsuma Pottery that was mass produced to be sold abroad. It is also possible that the piece of pottery was even made in somewhere like China too - such was the demand for Satsuma style pieces after they were made known to the world.
Satsuma fit for royalty?
The name "Royal Satsuma" comes from the fact that it was favored by European royalty, including Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who is said to have collected many pieces of original antique Satsuma.
However, if you have a piece of pottery that is marked "Royal Satsuma" on the bottom, then it is almost certainly not an authentic piece from Japan. It could have been made in Japan, but it will not be a proper antique. It was not until the late 1940's that potters in Japan began to use English words to mark their work.
As a rule of thumb, when buying or checking any pieces of "antique satsuma pottery" if it has ANY English words on, then it will certainly not be from the Meiji Period.
Also, anything sold as "Royal Satsuma" will not be from a Japanese Royal palace or have belonged to the Emperor - it will most likely not be from Japan at all.
However, these pieces are very beautiful and are collectible and can fetch a good price if they are in very good condition. Just make sure you are fully aware of what you are buying before spending money on what appears to be an antique piece, which many sellers claim them to be.
Many people who contact me regarding pieces they have been given or bought have this style of Satsuma and the information that it could be next to worthless in terms of value, can be bad news to give.
You can read more on valuing a piece you own here on one of our recent articles.
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 VINTAGE SATSUMA VASE ROYAL DOULTON SLATERS BRANDED JAPANESE DESIGN £12.53 |
 Vintage Japanese Royal Satsuma 14 Moriage Vase Gold Gilt $48.00 |
 12 Royal Satsuma Geishas Hand Painted Plate $20.99 |
 Vintage Hand Painted Royal Satsuma Vase 15 Tall Gilded Handles $44.95 |
 Royal Satsuma Large Gold Handled Bowl Serving Platter Asian Pottery Birds $21.25 |
 Royal Satsuma Porcelain 14 Raised Beads Beautiful Geisha Detail Gold Vase $45.00 |
 Nippon Royal Satsuma Double Handle Deep Dish Platter $30.00 |
 Antique Royal Satsuma Pottery Meiji Double Gourd Geisha Women Vase 13 $87.26 |
 Vintage Japanese Royal Satsuma Vase Gold Gilt Hand Painted Bird Flowers CHIPPED $31.99 |
17 replies on “Royal Satsuma”
I have a hand painted cat shape, which has gathered dust. Can you offer advice regarding cleaning?
What do I have here is this a planter or vase and what is it worth
I have 2 diff satsuma vases. 1 does say Royal satsuma and as I just read there pretty much a knock off of the original but the other vase has 3 diff Japanese markings only. No English writing. AND I read about the appraiser page u posted but I do not have credit card/bank card, ect. I work with cash only so I wouldn’t be able to pay there fee! I do have pic of both vases and markings if needed. I am going to sell them but would like to know for sure exactly what I’m selling and a price range as to how much. Thank you for ur time
Wendi
Hi Wendi. I can’t give you any advice about prices i’m afraid. If you are looking to sell them online, try looking on eBay to see if you can spot where a similar item has sold – that will give you an idea of the price to try to sell at.
Hi i have satsuma vase with gold at bottom has chines writting and hand painted jus wonder is worth anything
Hi Ben. It depends on what the marking is. You could try using the Satsuma Pottery Valuation Serviceantique evaluation service we have used to get a rough idea of the value.
Hi Tao
I have a couple of Chinese versions of satsuma which are definitely modern but beautiful and inexpensive. I am curious about whether these things are hand painted or transfer printed. The designs seem to be enamelled and have moriage decorations. Apologies for my ignorance but other websites are reluctant to discuss.
Hi. It is likely that they are printed or mass produced somehow. There is no “authentic” version of Satsuma available from China as Satsuma Pottery is from Japan.
The Chinese made Satsuma style pieces for export only, so they would have been printed I suspect
I’m looking for a buyer for a beautiful piece of Satsuma potterybthat was passed down to me from my Grandmother by way of Father.Thank u
Hi Kim.
Your best bet is to sell on eBay but get a valuation certificate from somewhere like ValueMyStuff.com first.
I have a hand painted royal satsuma basket, just wondering if it is worth anything, will try to attach pic, do you have a email address I will send pics
Hello, I have what appears to be a Satsuma Vase. It has the words “Royal Satsuma ” and “Fine handpainted porcelain ” “for decoration only” and what appears to be a reverse P on the bottom. I would like to know what value it might have. Thanks
This has been in my house for years I got it from my mum how much would it be worth do you think it’s a royal satsuma vase with Chinese ladies on it all dressed in there costumes I carnt get a picture up has don’t no how thank-you
I HAVE ALOT OF SATSUMA PIECES I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT I HAVE OR WHERE I COULD SELL THEM. I COULD SEND YOU PICTURES OF THEM ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
I HAVE TWENTY NICE PEICES OF SATSUM LIKE BOWLS WITH HANDLES, PLATES, EGGS AND LOTS OF THEM. IF I SEND YOU PICTURES COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE WORTH AND IF YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THEM. THANK PATRICIA
I have a royal satsuma vase hand painted beautiful ,it has a peacock on it ,wondering if its worth anything square nosel on top
Hi Tricia. Do you have any images of the makers marking on the bottom of the vase?