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QA-2026-052
RAM Arnhem theekopjes
Tea cups and saucers from Plateelbakkerij RAM in Arnhem, painted in black with the Lotus pattern designed by Frans Mansveld. The cup has the pointed handle and wide flared rim of Servies D or a related tea service model. Two cups and saucers are early and are painted all by hand and four have been printed and filled in to speed up process.
- Every mark photographed and transcribed below
- Condition stated in full, including what is wrong with it
- Posted insured and tracked from the Netherlands
- Return within 14 days if it is not as described
About this piece
The black Lotus pattern was designed by Frans Mansveld for RAM tableware around 1925. It is a stylized flower, drawn in flat black shapes with fine outlines. Mansveld took clear artistic cues from the abstract, oriental-influenced flowers of Theo Colenbrander.
The flowers circle the cup just above the foot. On the saucer the black swirls out from the centre, so the cup seems to float on water among the leaves. The underside of the cup is glazed black too.
The shape is typical of Servies D or a related tea service model, developed by Henri van Lerven together with Mansveld. Look at the pointed handle (puntoor) and the wide flared rim.
The bases carry marks. One cup has a printed circular mark reading MADE IN HOLLAND, RAM, ARNHEM. Another cup and saucer have a small hand-painted figure and the number 152.
Condition
- Fine crazing in the glaze on cups and saucers
- Small flea bites around the rim
- Three small kiln spur marks on each foot which is normal for saucers from this period.
Details
| Object | Tea cups and saucers |
|---|---|
| Material | Glazed ceramic |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Maker | Plateelbakkerij RAM, Arnhem |
| Period | Lotus pattern designed c. 1925; RAM operated 1921–1969 |
| Style | Art Deco (Amsterdam School period) |
| Condition | Good, with wear |
| Attribution | Marked RAM Arnhem (printed mark on one cup). Mansveld as designer of the Lotus pattern, per our notes. |
Plateelbakkerij RAM and Frans Mansveld
Plateelbakkerij RAM worked in Arnhem from 1921 to 1969. Frans Mansveld (1872–1951) joined RAM as a director and lead designer. Before that he was a master painter at Rozenburg. For RAM he designed the Lotus pattern around 1925, with Theo Colenbrander's abstract flower motifs as a clear example. The cup shape comes from Servies D or a related tea service model, which Mansveld developed with Henri van Lerven.
How I read a mark strip