Derby Porcelain Figure of Ariadne, 1780

• Soft Paste Porcelain - Porcelain is an ancient ceramic material, first made in China, hence the common name "china", and the process was unknown in the West.
  
  European potters attempted to replicate Chinese porcelain, without knowing the ingredients in its composition, and the earliest wares were produced with mixtures of clay and ground-up glass (frit), the idea being that the glass would give the porcelain translucency.
  
  It was given the name "soft" because it did not remain rigid, but "slumped" when fired in the kiln at high temperatures.
• Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.
• Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• Derby (England) - figures and figurines 206