Meissen Barn Owl Figurine by Max Esser

• 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.
• Blanc De Chine - ?Blanc de Chine? literally translates as "white from China". The pieces are made from a pure, white porcelain with a very smooth glaze and have been made since the 16th century to the present day, at the kilns in Dehua in the Chinese province of Fujian.
  
  Large quantities of Blanc de Chine? were exported to Europe as Chinese export porcelain in the early 18th century and Blanc de Chine was copied by European potteries including Bing & Grondahl, Herend, Meissen, Royal Copenhagen, Royal Worcester and others. It was also exported to Japan in large quantities.
  
  The most common shapes are devotional objects including small figures of Ho-tai (Buddha) and Guanyin, the Chinese goddess of mercy. Early pieces tend to have a warmer, ivory tinge, whilst later pieces are ?colder? white or have a blue tinge.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• European blanc de chine (white ware) - ceramics 61
• Meissen (Germany) - figurines and other 456