Book Description

*The first comprehensive collection of over 400 illustrations of the parian productions by Copeland*Includes the making costs and selling prices over forty years and illustrations from the Copeland archivesParian - a high-quality, unglazed porcelain - was developed in the early 1840s by Copeland & Garrett, which was the first company to exhibit it in 1845. Its purpose was to provide small sculptures for the public at a time when full size marble statues were gracing the homes of wealthy people. Examples exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition stimulated the demand initiated by the Art Union of London in 1845 and promoted further in the next forty years by other Art Unions. "Parian - Copeland's Statuary Porcelain" tells this fascinating story in detail, beginning with its origin and introduction. The debate in the columns of the Staffordshire Advertiser as to which firm was the first to introduce Parian is also examined here in detail. The book goes on to describe the manufacturing processes of mould-making and the casting of the figures. Also included is a comprehensive catalogue of Copeland's productions of statuettes, groups and portrait busts.