Of angels and doves

Minton parian tazza with cherubs and doves, 1855

A while ago I showed the two beautiful Minton figures of Miranda and Lalage in celadon "parian" china, and last week I showed the stunning Copeland potpourri vases with parian cherubs. Today I have another one of these wonderful parian porcelain items: a Minton tazza, again made of white and celadon parian china, this time fully glazed.

Parian china was difficult and expensive to make; it needed a special machine to create the slip, and mixing in the colour for the celadon made it even trickier.

The parian recipe had first been developed by Thomas Battam at the Copeland factory 1842, and very quickly Minton copied it (and they were successful in making many people believe they invented it!). When Benjamin Cheverton designed the "Reducing Machine", a three-dimensional pantograph, parian could be created on a greater scale by any factory that would invest in a Reducing Machine. Minton made a huge number of items particularly in the 1850s.

This cute tazza consists of a dish held up by two cherubs, who create a protected space between them for two doves to lovingly embrace each other. It would make a fantastic ornament or useful centre piece for a beautiful dinner table.

You can find this tazza and many more treasures in my shop. Have a wonderful weekend!