Manises

Manises, near Valencia, Spain · Maiolica

Transcribed by Igor Kukolj from Chaffers, William. Marks and Monograms on European and Oriental Pottery and Porcelain, 1891, Reeves & Turner, London, p.158. Scan: archive.org/details/marksmonogramson00chaf (leaf n177). Checked 22 August 2026.

Marks

The A hand within a circle, dated 16 · 10 mark as engraved in Chaffers 1891, page 158 — 1610
**A hand within a circle, dated 16 · 10** · painted in lustre · *engraved in the source*
Recorded on a Spanish maiolica dish in rich copper lustre approaching ruby, in Oriental patterns on a drab ground, formerly in Mr Reynold's Collection.Chaffers 1891, p.158
The date is split either side of the hand — 16 to the left, 10 to the right. Chaffers notes the device is engraved 'much reduced in size' from the original.
Hand or arm — “hand”
Inside a frame — “within”

The M with a small o above mark as engraved in Chaffers 1891, page 158 — 1610–1611
**M with a small o above** · large lustre letters, with annulets round · *engraved in the source*Chaffers 1891, p.158
Found on the BACK of the dish above, while the dated hand is on the front. Chaffers records a similar plate carrying the same M° on the back with 1611 on the front — so the two marks work as a pair, front and reverse.
Star or mullet — “annulet”
Initials — “M”

What the source records

The manufactory was in existence before the sixteenth century.Chaffers 1891 · p.158
The lustred ware made there was held in great request by the Pope, cardinals and princes.Chaffers 1891 · p.158
It continued in production, though in a state of dilapidation and decay, down to Chaffers' own day.Chaffers 1891 · p.158
The later Manises work is characterised by the copper-red tones of its lustres.Chaffers 1891 · p.158

Why this differs from other listings

The Manises marks are split across the piece: a dated device on the front, the M° on the back. Chaffers records two plates with this arrangement, one dated 1610 and one 1611, which means a bare M° on a reverse is only half the mark and the date may still be present on the face.

The source page

Page 158 of Chaffers 1891, the source for this entry — Chaffers 1891, p.158 — public domain, from archive.org/details/marksmonogramson00chaf (leaf n177). Check the transcription against it.

What this entry does not establish

Chaffers gives no range for the M° mark beyond the two dated plates he cites.
'Before the sixteenth century' is as precise as the source gets on the works' founding.

Questions

What marks does Chaffers 1891 record for Manises?

2 on p.158: A hand within a circle, dated 16 · 10 (1610); M with a small o above (1610–1611). 2 of them are engraved in the source and are reproduced above; the rest are described in words only.

What dates does the source give?

The dates Chaffers attaches to these marks fall between 1610. They are his, not an inference drawn here, and several are given as approximate or open-ended in the original wording shown on each plate.

Where was Manises?

Manises, near Valencia, Spain.

Can this page tell me what my piece is worth?

No. This site reports what one nineteenth-century reference recorded, and cites the page so you can check it. It does not authenticate objects, value them, or offer an opinion on a specific piece.