Colorful Set of 3 Nesting Trinket Dishes - Maidens in Braids

Vintage Collectibles : Decorative

 

A colorful and most unusual set of nesting trinket dishes, each appearing to be a rosy-cheeked peasant, short and plump, surrounded in tropical fruit and flowers and wearing her hair in braids. Each maiden peasant has an array of fruit that is spread before her -- pineapple, watermelon, grapes, bananas, oranges, and more -- while the back and lower half of each dish is a delightful combination of hand-painted flowers and geometric designs.

Fully covered in a black background and an inner lid of white, I can’t get a real sense of the base material. I initially thought this set may be a folk art clay pottery, but then, finding one small white nick on the inner surface of one of the dish bases, I’m now left to wonder if it’s some sort of white clay. I have looked high and low in my efforts to determine both the content and country of origin for this wonderful and unusual set, but alas they remain a mystery. Certain elements bring me to think of Russian artistic handicrafts, but the fruit would seem to suggest other parts of the world, possibly Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

The largest, outer trinket dish measures 4-1/4” in diameter and 3-3/4” high, while the smallest measures slightly under 3” in diameter and approx. 2” high. There are a couple of minor, shallow nicks in the cold painted decoration, and only the one chip on the inner rim of the mid-sized base. Unmarked, although the largest does retain what I speculate is its original price tag.

Item ID: 01808