Factory mark

20th century Jingdezhen ware, with factory mark: 中国景德镇 ("China Jingdezhen") and MADE IN CHINA in English.

A factory mark is a symbolic marking affixed by manufacturers on their productions in order to authentify them. Numerous factory marks are known throughout the ages, and are essential in determining the provenance or dating of productions.

Factory mark are essential in the area of porcelain production especially, where they are sometimes also called "backstamps", and where their absence would make authentification much more difficult.^[1]

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  Meissen porcelain factory marks.

Notes

Porcelain
China	General: Chinese porcelain Chinese export porcelain Chinese influences on Islamic pottery Types: Proto-celadon (16th century BCE) Celadon (1st century) Yue (2nd century) Ding (10th century) Qingbai (12th century) Jingdezhen (11th century on) Blue and white (14th century on) Blanc de Chine (14th century on) Kraak (16th century) Swatow (16th century) Tianqi (17th century) Kangxi (17th century) Famille jaune, noire, rose, verte (17th century) Canton (18th century)
Korea	General: Korean porcelain Types: Goryeo (10th century) Joseon (14th century)
Japan	General: Japanese porcelain Types: Arita Imari Nabeshima Kakiemon Kutani
Europe	General: French porcelain Chinese porcelain in European painting Armorial ware Types: Fonthill Vase (1338) Royal Tichelaar (1572) Medici (1575) Rouen (1673) Nevers Saint-Cloud (1693) Meissen (1710) Rörstrand (1726) Chantilly (1730) Doccia (1735) Vincennes (1740) Chelsea (1743) Capodimonte (1743) Oranienbaum (1744) Mennecy (1745) Bow (1747) Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory (1747) Plymouth (1748) Worcester (1751) Frankenthal Porcelain Factory (1755) Sèvres (1756) Derby (1757) Weesp Porselein (1759) Wedgwood (1759) Wallendorf (1764) Etiolles (1770) Limoges (1771) Loosdrechts Porselein (1774) Royal Copenhagen (1775) Clignancourt (1775) Revol (1789) Herend Porcelain Manufactory (1826) Bing & Grøndahl (1853) Zsolnay (1853) Wagner & Apel Porzellan (1877) Porsgrund (1885)
Technologies	Soft-paste porcelain Hard-paste porcelain Bone china China painting Factory mark
People	chinamen Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus Johann Friedrich Böttger François Xavier d'Entrecolles Dmitry Vinogradov
Collections	British Museum (London): Asia Department / Percival David Foundation The David Collection (Copenhagen) Dresden Porcelain Collection Gardiner Museum (Toronto) Kuskovo State Museum of Ceramics (Moscow) Sèvres – Cité de la céramique (Paris) Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris) Palace Museum (Beijing) Topkapı Palace (Istanbul) Victoria and Albert Museum (London) Museum of Royal Worcester Walters Art Museum (Baltimore)