What is the difference between bisque and parian?

Both are unglazed white porcelain. Bisque, or biscuit, is the general term for porcelain fired without a glaze; parian is a fine statuary-white body sold under that particular name. On Sellingantiques the two sit side by side. Parian appears in about a sixth of titles, biscuit in a similar handful, and dealers use whichever name the piece was sold under.

Why are so many bisque figures sold in pairs?

They were modelled that way. Matched companions, usually a man and woman or a boy and girl, were made to flank a clock or stand at either end of a mantel. Pairs are close to a defining feature of the category, appearing in 22 of the 70 titles, and they run from the plainest examples to the largest groups.

How old is most antique bisque?

The dated field spans 1850 to 1920. Where a clean decade is given it tends to be late, clustering in the 1890s, 1900s and 1910s. Twenty-four listings are dated only as 19th Century, with Victorian used in the same broad way. A few pieces reach back into the 18th century, and the latest dated piece is a 1920 Art Deco sculpture of a seated nude.

Does bisque come in anything other than figures?

It does, but figures dominate. Busts of royal and historical sitters recur, and there are centrepieces, one of them a bowl with ormolu mounts. Flat work is uncommon: a few plaques, roundels and tondos, including a pair of Italian portrait roundels of Renaissance poets. Odd forms surface once each, among them a white bisque poodle and a doll with sleep eyes.

Is Royal Dux bisque common on the market?

It is the most concentrated single origin in this category, running to about one title in eight. It turns up as single figures, larger groups, a shell centrepiece and a piece quoted by its model number.

How often does antique bisque come up for sale?

Twenty-four dealers have listed in the category, with roughly nine pieces coming to market a year. That makes it a steady trickle rather than something that arrives in runs, so the mix on offer at any one time is small and varied.

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Antique Bisque

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Bisque is porcelain fired but left unglazed, and in this category it means figure sculpture: white or lightly tinted people, made to stand on a mantel or table.