“Famille verte” is a term collectors use for a popular style of Chinese porcelain. If you speak French (the term was coined by French collector Albert Jacquemart in the 1860s), you know it means “green family.” It refers to a type of porcelain decorated with multicolor enamel, called wucai, or “five-color” in Chinese, where green is the dominant color.

In Chinese, it is usually called Kangxi wucai because it was developed during the reign of the Kangxi emperor of the Qing dynasty, who ruled from 1661 to 1722. It experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 19th century, when it was made for export to the West.

The predominance of green enamel lends itself well to designs with leafy plants, like this 19th-century vase that sold for $600 at an auction by Leland Little. Like many Chinese porcelains, its decorations have symbolic meanings. The plants that cover the background are peonies, which are associated with royalty and wealth. They are also the flowers of spring.

The auction house described the animals on the vase as “Buddhist lions,” after the guardian lion statues often seen outside Buddhist shrines. However, English-speaking collectors often call them “foo dogs” because of their resemblance to certain Chinese dog breeds known as “lion dogs.”

Q: We have a chest sent to us after WWII that looks like it was made in Japan. It is rectangular with a flat top, landscape design on the lid and front, and bracket feet. Could you identify it and tell us its worth? It is 18 inches high, 17 inches wide, 35 inches long.

A: Many countries in East Asia made furniture to export to the United States in the mid-20th century. These included chests like the ones you describe. The chest’s material may provide clues to its origin. Chests from Japan are often decorated with designs painted on lacquer or with applied metal plaques. Chests with carved designs, often made of camphor wood, were a popular export from China and Hong Kong. Today, most mid-century exported chests like these are worth about $50 to $100.

Q: I have a Singer treadle sewing machine and would like to know what you thought it would be worth if sold. I can’t find any dates on it, but it has an oval brass with the trademark that reads “The Singer Mfg. Co N.Y.” It needs a belt to use it and it has sewing accessories.

A: Isaac Singer (1811-1875) was an American inventor who developed and brought into general use the first practical domestic sewing machine. While working in a Boston machine shop in 1851, Singer was asked to repair a Lerow and Blodgett sewing machine; 11 days later, he had designed and built an improved model, which he patented and sold through I.M. Singer & Company.

The Singer machine was the first to embody features allowing continuous and curved stitching.

His revolutionary sewing machine employed an overhanging arm holding the needle bar over a horizontal table, thus making it possible to sew on any part of the work. So impressive was Singer’s design that its basic design features have been followed in almost all subsequent machines. Up to the 1950s, Singer sewing machines were by far the most popular in the United States.

The company started using a brass trademark badge like the one you describe in 1875. After 1885, the badge no longer had “N.Y.” on it. Currently, treadle sewing machines sell for about $100 or less.

For more information about yours, look for books like “The Encyclopedia of Early American Sewing Machines” by Carter Bays or “Antique Sewing Machines” by Brian Jewell. The International Sewing Machine Collectors’ Society (ismacs.net) also has more information about identifying, collecting and evaluating antique sewing machines. Whatever you decide to do with your Singer sewing machine, know that you have a significant piece of history in your home.

TIP: Remove stains from old ceramic vases by scrubbing them with salt.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer readers’ questions sent to the column. Send a letter with one question describing the size, material (glass, pottery) and what you know about the item. Include only two pictures, the object and a closeup of any marks or damage. Be sure your name and return address are included. By sending a question, you give full permission for use in any Kovel product. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We do not guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. Questions that are answered will appear in Kovels Publications. Write to Kovels, (Name of this newspaper), King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803 or email us at collectorsgallery@kovels.com.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Lampshade, milk glass, ball, hand painted, turquoise blue top, green scrolling trim, leafy vine, pink flowers, 10 inches, $50.

Toy, flying saucer, Z-101, top fins, red, yellow, pale green, tin, Modern Toys, 1950s, 5 1/2 inches, $75.

Glass-Venetian, bowl, short foot, red to amber, mottled, matte finish, signed, Gino Cenedese, Murano, 5 x 8 1/2 inches, $130.

Furniture, desk, Empire style, granite top, drop front over two doors, interior shelves, pilasters, gilt trim, salesman’s sample, 14 1/2 inches, $450.

Furniture, chair, Weiner Werkstatte style, mahogany, slat back, curule base, seat and back cushions, open arms, 20th century, 29 x 24 1/2 inches, pair, $495.

Silver-Irish, teapot, hinged lid, swan finial, scalloped, chased body, landscape, four legs, twisted, lion’s masks, paw feet, marked, Dublin, 1969, 7 x 9 inches, $640.

Rug, soumak, six medallions, blue field, red, orange, brown, ivory, stylized flower border, Uzbekistan, 9 feet 6 inches x 5 feet 7 inches, $745.

Wood, porridge container, lid, round, painted, multicolor, ridged body, blue, crown shape handles, scrolled trim, lettering, Scandinavia, 12 x 13 inches, $1,030.

Furniture, table, work, Federal, mahogany, cherry, birch, two tiers, each with drawer, pierced gallery on lower tier, fluted legs, casters, 28 inches, $2,650.

Belleek, centerpiece, pierced bowl, basketweave, pedestal base, three putti, playing instruments, garland, four scrolled feet, 1st black mark, 13 x 14 inches, $3,300.