Vase

Art Historical Context

This delicate Parian porcelain vase, in America between 1830 and1870, exemplifies the mid-19th-century with neoclassical elegance in everyday decorative arts. Standing just over 4 inches tall, its petite form (4 1/8 x 1 1/2 in.) made it ideal for mantelpieces or tabletops in Victorian homes. Parian ware, an unglazed, matte-white porcelain developed in the 1840s, mimicked the translucent glow of Parian marble from the Greek islands, allowing artisans to create refined, sculpture-like objects without the heft of stone. American potteries, inspired by English and Continental examples, perfected t...