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Antique marble/alabaster statues

Profile picture for user Lovejoy
By Lovejoy, 6 January, 2018
Accurate Description of Item
Two 19th Century Alabaster or Parian Figures
Appraiser Remarks
It appears to be constructed out of Alabaster or Parian Porcelain. Alabaster is a marble like substance that is softer and easier to carve than marble. You can test for alabaster. Alabaster is very soft compared to marble on the Moh's hardness scale , alabaster only rates 2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and can be scratched with a copper penny. Marble rates 3-5 on the same scale and generally requires a pen knife blade to scratch test it. Parian Porcelain looks very similar to Alabaster, but is much harder.

Pieces like this in alabaster tend to originate from Italy, the Parian examples being English or Continental , both types dating date from the last quarter of the 19th century. Very few of these pieces are signed or carry much in the way of markings, so identifying a maker without a provenance is unlikely. They were made in very large numbers, so are not considered rare.
Estimated Value
$300.00- $400.00 for the pair
Profile picture for user InstAppraisal

InstAppraisal

7 years 6 months ago

Re: Antique marble/alabaster statues

Two 19th Century Alabaster or Parian Figures

It appears to be constructed out of Alabaster or Parian Porcelain. Alabaster is a marble like substance that is softer and easier to carve than marble. You can test for alabaster. Alabaster is very soft compared to marble on the Moh's hardness scale , alabaster only rates 2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and can be scratched with a copper penny. Marble rates 3-5 on the same scale and generally requires a pen knife blade to scratch test it. Parian Porcelain looks very similar to Alabaster, but is much harder.

Pieces like this in alabaster tend to originate from Italy, the Parian examples being English or Continental , both types dating date from the last quarter of the 19th century. Very few of these pieces are signed or carry much in the way of markings, so identifying a maker without a provenance is unlikely. They were made in very large numbers, so are not considered rare.

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