Native American Salt & Pepper Shaker Group

Updated August 18, 2026

This auction ended on August 22, 2026. See upcoming auctions from Big Shanty Auction.
Lot number182
Estimate100.00 - 200.00 USD
AuctionAUGUST AUCTION
DateAugust 22, 2026 at 12:00 PM EDT
Auction houseBig Shanty Auction
LocationMarietta, Georgia

Vintage Japanese ceramic novelty condiment group featuring a colorful collection of Native American-themed figural salt and pepper shakers together with a distinctive pale blue canoe-form holder. The canoe is fashioned with three circular wells intended to receive the coordinating shakers and is decorated along the side with delicate flowering branch motifs; the underside is marked “MADE IN JAPAN.” Included are several hand-painted figural shakers depicting individuals in feathered headdresses, rendered in vivid blue, red, yellow, green, black, and white glazes, along with a larger central chief-head shaker. Two additional standing figural pieces in elaborate feathered headdresses accompany the group and retain red Japan markings to the bases. Period examples of similar Native American canoe-form salt and pepper sets are generally identified as mid-20th-century Japanese export wares, with comparable sets commonly dated to the 1950s. The assemblage displays appealing hand-painted character and strong vintage decorative presence, with scattered glaze and paint wear, surface soiling, minor firing imperfections, stopper variation and losses, and other age-related wear visible throughout; one of the smaller blue figural pieces shows a noticeable crack across the headdress/body area. Overall, the group remains an engaging example of mid-century Japanese novelty tableware and collectible figural ceramics. Salt & Pepper shakers measures 3"tall, the figures are 6"tall and the canoe set is is 4"H x 8.5"W x 2.5"D.

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