Musical Pheasant Trivet

• 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.
• Trivets - Originally a trivet was a three-legged stand placed in front of fire on which to put pots and utensils, in use from the seventeenth century. They were usually made of wrought iron, and later of brass. However, the use of the word has been extended to describe any type of stand to place a hot object on, such as a teapot, iron or jug to prevent the heat from the object reaching the surface underneath. They may be made from ceramic, silver, wood or brass.
• Faience / Maolica - Originating in ancient Egypt, faience is the name given to tin-enamelled porcelain or earthenware, deriving its name from Faenza in Northern Italy. Also known as maiolica because at one time the wares passed through Majorca. In England, faience / maoilca underwent a revival in the late 19th century by the art potteries set up about that time.
  
  Majolica was the name given to a specific product evolved by Minton in 1851 and introduced at the Great Exhibition. The pottery was coloured with a clear glaze containing metallic oxides.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• faience - ceramics 74
• trivets, other materials - utensil stands 27