Parian

Parian

During the 1840s a new hard, white unglazed porcelain, known as "statuary porcelain" and later as "Parian" from its marble-like quality, was first produced by Spode.  It was acclaimed as the ideal material for ornamental figures and sculptures, and it became one of the great successes of Victorian ceramic art.

Minton produced some of the finest examples of Parian ware, a marble-like unglazed porcelain body developed during the 1840s and used most successfully for sculptural pieces. John Bell, the American Hiram Powers, and Albert Carrier de Belleuse were among the sculptors who produced statuary for Minton; scaled-down models of larger pieces by contemporary and past sculptors were also produced in Parian, and sometimes the material was used in combination with glazed and painted bone china for display pieces.

Copeland Parian Figurine - Signed M Noble Sc, 
Ceramic and Crystal Palace Art Union Copeland 0/74 copyright reserved. 
figure stands 17 1/2 inches tall

questions / comments? email Steve Birks steveb@netcentral.co.uk