Collectible Figurines - Parian Statue?
by Nevin Heller
(Century, FL)
Collectible Figurines - Parian Statue?
Collectible Figurines - Parian Statue?:- I have a 13.5 inch high parian (or porcelain) statue. I Would like to know about the maker's mark? I sent two pix by sending one at a time (a new submission form for each).
Thanks,
Nevin
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Reply by Peter (admin)
to Collectible Figurines - Parian Statue?
Dear Nevin
Thanks you for successfully uploading two photos using two separate submission forms. The current technology does not yet have the functionality to upload two at once, unless you are able to merge them into one photo at your end. We merge the photos at our end when your submission is chosen for publication.
Yours has been chosen because you took the trouble to fulfill all the criteria (joined the Newsletter etc)..... and you have a very interesting topic to discuss.
You have uncovered something of a mystery with this collectible figurine - which I think you may well need expert antiquarian analysis to solve ultimately, but I can give my two-pennies worth first (see the article below for my recommendations for online professional appraisal services).
Let's look at the sculpting first. In my view the sculpting is of a high standard - It looks to me most like a Victorian 'homage' to classical Ancient Roman statuary, paralleling the look of Renaissance artists. The Victorian era would fit in most with the high period of collectible figurines in parian ware.
The catalogue of the Great Exhibition of 1851 gives Thomas Battam credit for inventing parian which is actually not at all like porcelain as it is fired at lower temperatures and essentially has a matt finish being unglazed. It has a rather stark look and a tendency to attracts dirt and be difficult to keep clean. It is classified as a soft porcelain - but ironically has a higher content of feldspar than porcelain.
Several English factories claimed credit for its development (including colleagues at Royal Worcester). However, Copeland and Garrett (associated with Spode who invented bone china) was the first to produce it in 1842.
Several potteries made it under different names. Copeland was selling it as "statuary porcelain".
Wedgwood named it "Carrara," in homage to Michelangelo's marble quarry.
It was Minton which coined the word "Parian" suggesting Paros, the Greek isle that furnished much of the marble used in the classical period.
So it was the Victorian era which saw the height of fashion for Parian ware collectible figurines and busts - especially between c1870 to c1890.
It was, of course the the marble-like effect of parian which attracted the Victorians. Every properly furnished Victorian parlor contained at least one figurine in parian ware.
In my mind, it is most likely your very collectible figurine is Victorian - as this is when classical statuary was at it's height.
But who made it?
This is where the mystery deepens. The star or asterisk mark with which it is hand-signed has no recorded Victorian maker - at least not in any of my reference books. In fact there is only one reference to this exact mark at all.
The person who marked the piece knew a thing or two about European porcelain as they were paying homage to the earliest documented wares in European ceramics. The three stroke asterisk mark with the little balls on the end (which you can see clearly from the enhanced photo) is an exact replica (surely this can be no co-incidence) of the 'drug jars' made in Tuscany in 1430-31 for the hospital of the Santa Maria Nuova.
I hope you are able to go on to find a solution to the mystery of who made your parian mother and child collectible figurine. See below for my review of professional online appraisers.
Best regards
Peter (admin)
How To Do Effective Pottery Marks Research Easily
Offline
You can utilize the reference books at your local library, ask your local auction house for an opinion, or purchase your own set of reference books.
Online
Note: Pottery marks online research is a time consuming and often thankless task. Free pottery mark online information is often limited to the websites of antique dealers who tend to have only selective information. The most thorough antiquarian online databases are private and levy a charge. Some are better than others, but a good one can often be both cost effective and time saving.
I always pass on any information I have for free and publish it for all to benefit from. You can use the in-house search engine located on the home page (and on most main pages) to look for the answer to your query.
My China Replacements page tells you how to use various online resources to search for both replacements and how to value your item or collection.
My own knowledge more centered on famous English china makers, but all queries are welcome.
If I don't know the answer, I know which websites might. Below is a list of my recommendations.
Here are the pages I recommend for your own online research:
Using a Professional Online Antiquarian Service
If you want to shortcut and can spare the cost of a couple of cups of coffee, I recommend going straight to
Whats-it-worth.
They are online antiquarians, specializing in identifying pottery marks.
They are quick, efficient, friendly and not expensive. The choice is up to you.
They are best for one off queries and also run online courses (a great resource if you want to short-cut your china antiquing learning curve).
If you think you may have a series of ongoing queries (you are getting seriously into antiquing), you need John at Marks4Antiques.
You may have noticed some of the replies on this website are written by him. He and his team have an amazing knowledge but in order to have them on-board full-time, you have to join their membership site. We were lucky enough to have him answer some of the more obscure queries for free – in order to give a kind of taster to their site. For more details on John’s database and antiquarian expertise, contact me as I have negotiated a special price for my visitors.
Finally, I think many china antiquers would benefit from is a fun and interesting ebook with all the tips and tricks of the pros called 'How To Buy & Sell Antiques For Fun & Profit'. Buy it and find out why ebooks work – much more efficient than carrying around lots of heavy books on antiquing!! Have it on your laptop, like a mobile library, and it will save you time, money and effort - and show you how to earn a few dollars more whilst having fun.
'How To Buy & Sell Antiques For Fun & Profit'.
Check it out here:
www.figurines-sculpture.com/buy-and-sell-antiques-for-fun
