Parian ware is white unglazed porcelain statuary, designed to look like marble. Made first in England in the 1840s, the name was dreamed up by the Staffordshire pottery Minton as a reference to Paros, the Greek island known for its white marble. It was designed as an affordable version of the fine marble statuary the posh folk had in their homes. Eighty companies are on record as having produced Parian ware, most in the Victorian era when it was at the height of its popularity.
« Back to Glossary Index
