This page last updated on: 4/8/2007

Just About Dolls Club
Materials: Porcelain
Porcelain
A hard translucent ceramic made by high-firing a pure clay.  Bisque, china, painted bisque, and parian (or untinted bisque) are all a type of porcelain.
China (glazed porcelain doll):
China has a shiny surface and is translucent (not transparent) by definition.  In solid-china heads or when the china is very thick, it is almost impossible to see light through it.  The term applies to china-head dolls as well as all-china dolls.
See Denise Van Patten's article about china dolls at About.com
and a close-up photo of china doll in her price guide.
Untinted Bisque or Parian (unglazed  porcelain):
Doll made of fine white matte bisque without tinting.  The features, hair and cheeks may be painted.  Occasionally, these dolls have glass eyes. The official UFDC list of accepted terms refers to these dolls as Parian.  There are at least two other references where the preferred term is untinted bisque.  Reference 1: The Ultimate Doll Book by Caroline Goodfellow: These dolls are sometimes also known as “parian”, particularly in the United States, where the term has been used ever since the 1930’s.  “Parian” in fact refers to a variety of porcelain that was developed in the late 1840s by two English pottery factories, Minton and Copeland.  This new porcelain, whose special properties gave it the luminous quality of white Parian marble, was probably never used for making doll heads, as it was very expensive to produce.  The word “parian” did appear in many advertisements, perhaps as a sales ploy.”
Reference 2: The Collector’s Enclyclopedia of Dolls by the Colemans - Throughout the pages of this book, this type of doll is referred to as untinted bisque.  (See page 487 for a definition of Parian.)
Bisque (unglazed porcelain):
Usually tinted.  These dolls have a matte surface finish. The term applies to all bisque as well as bisque-head dolls.  Paint that is applied over the bisque is fired in a kilm for durability.
(Ashton Drake dolls)
Painted Bisque: (unglazed porcelain):
This is what collectors call a doll whose parts are not fired in a kiln after application of the paint.  The paint is usually protected with some sort of sealer, but is not as durable as paint that has been fired in a kiln after application.  Extreme caution must be exercised when cleaning painted bisque dolls.
(Antique painted bisque head)
Ashton Drake: Beth - a bisque doll