Porcelain
The History of Porcelain and Bone China
Meissen of Germany is attributed as being the first European porcelain manufacturer.
In 1709 Johann Friedrich Boettger finally discovered a secret that had been known to the Chinese for over 1000 years - the ability to turn a white, hard-paste into porcelain.
Until then, porcelain symbolized the mysterious world of the Far East, a world that was virtually closed to European travellers and explorers.
As early as the 13th century however, isolated pieces of chinese porcelain had started turning up in Europe.
European craftsmen attempted to reproduce this porcelain, their efforts culminating in the development of faience and majolica - (both a softer type of ceramic, Faience is still made in Italy and Majolica was introduced to Spain by the Moors).
It was at the court of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, however where the search finally ended.
The secret to making porcelain lies in firing the raw materials, kaolin, feldspar and quartz, at such a high temperature that they melt and fuse.
In 1710 the production of porcelain started at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen and Europe's first porcelain factory was born.
English porcelain makers were slower to figure out the technique, but when they did, factories shot up across the country, particularly in Staffordshire where many of them are still trading today.
One of the first English porcelain factories was Chelsea - established c.1745 and nowadays a highly desirable collectors item as the original factory was sold on in 1769.
Among the other famous names that were established at around the same time as Chelsea, were Bow (1744-76), Bristol (1768-81), Worcester (1754-1827) and Derby, which is still in business today under the name Royal Crown Derby, the word Royal being introduced into the name in 1890 with the permsiion of Queen Victoria.
As the decades passed, new techniques for the making of porcelain were introduced but the most significant was the creation of Bone China.
Bone China was developed by Josiah Spode in 1800 in England, as an inexpensive version of real porcelain. It was produced by adding the ashes from animal bones to the clay.
Although Bone China is technically easier to make than porcelain and was cheaper to produce, it came to be seen as superior to porcelain because of its lighter weight and bright colours.
In addition to Spode some of the most notable manufacturer's of bone china that emerged at this time were: Minton - now part of Royal Doulton, Davenport - (1793 -1887), Coalport - which became part of Wedgwood in 1967, and Worcester which in 1789 on a visit from King George III was allowed to add the word Royal to the name to become known as it is today Royal Worcester.
Wedgwood itself commenced trading in 1812.
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