A Parian-ware figure of Ariadne reclining nude on the back of a stylised panther; she wears an acanthus wreath on her head, her left leg tucked beneath her right, holding drapery in her left hand, her left leg crossed under her right, on a rectangular plinth.
This Parian-ware statuette was produced in 1847 by Minton & Co for Summerly's Art Manufactures, and remained in production until some time in 1860s. The composition, modelled by John Bell (1811-1895), is taken from an original life-size marble work by the German Sculptor Johann Heinrich Dannecker (1758-1841). Dannecker's sculpture was a popular attraction at Bethmann's museum in Frankfurt, and became an essential stop on the tourist trail, Due to this it frequently appeared in English guidebooks, novels and travel narratives, such as Anna Jameson's 'Sketches of Germany' (1832). Though it was one of Minton's first production for Summerly's, small copies of Ariadne and Panther were available already as tourist souvenirs in Frankfurt. Minton's production thus followed a well-established precedent.
This piece was the inspiration for another Parian-ware production, entirely of Bell's own conception, entitled Una and the Lion (RCIN 41773). But although Ariadne was available first to consumers, once Una and the Lion was manufactured these two statuettes were swiftly marketed together as 'companion pieces'.