(from E. Coopers book of Ten Thousand Years of Pottery)
“Porcelain was made in China as early as the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) - - the richly painted decoration of Chinese porcelain were greatly admired in Europe, where it was widely collected by members of the aristocracy. - - brought over from China by various East India companies throughout the seventeenth century - - ” (s. 160)
Hard paste is considered to be real porcelain but before kaolin was founded the wares were made out of soft paste porcelain. (s. 161)
“The first European porcelain was produced under the patronage of Francesco I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany in Florence in the late sixteenth century.” but it only had a resemblance of Chinese porcelain. (s.161)
Porcelain developing factories enjoyed patronage of royalty and rich members of aristocracy since they had an access for finest wares. Some had a vast collections of oriental porcelain and those were examples of inspiration for potters. (s.162)
In Germany an alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger, together with scientist Ehrenfried Walter von Tschirnhausen, managed to create a red clay body - and finally porcelain.
“On the basis of [Böttger’s] discovery the Meissen factory near Dresden was established in 1710 - - for the use of the royal family.” (s. 162)
Böttgers successor and colour chemist Johann Gregorius Höroldt advanced more refined porcelain body which abled vases, copies from Japanese originals, and tea and coffee services. He increased a selection of colours and chinoiserie scenes. (s. 163)
“The finely modelled and painted figures and table services produced at Meissen from the early 1730’s established the factory’s reputation as the foremost producer of porcelain in Europe. The dining tables of the wealthy had traditionally been decorated with small figures modelled in either wax, sugar or gum by cooks and confectioners, but demand for objects of more permanent nature encouraged production of the first porcelain figures at Meissen in 1727. - - “ (s. 163)
Johann Joachim Kaendler was a chief modeler in Meissen in 1733 and created lively figurines such as Harlequin, Columbine and Scaramouche. (s. 163-164)
In the rococo era, royals had often rooms dedicated for porcelain collections, for example a chinoiserie in Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. (s. 165)
When Meissen factory opened, the porcelain manufacture was kept secret. The formula for white porcelain remained a Meissen secret for forty years. In 1719 two Meissen craftsmen revealed the secret to Vienna, the factory was bought by Empress Maria Theresa in 1744. (s. 165)
Other German porcelain factories were Nymphenburg and royal porcelain factory in Berlin. (s. 165)
In France the tin glazed ware copied the Chinese porcelain and Japanese Arita ceramics. (s. 166)
Vicennes-Sèvres had become the national porcelain factory of France. The royal prefix was granted after admiration of Madame Pompadour in 1751. (s. 167)
“In 1769 the discovery of deposits of china clay (kaolin) at Saint-Yrieix, near Limoges, enabled hard paste body to be produced at Sèvres that was claimed to contain no frit, alkali or lead - - In the aftermath of the Revolution the Sèvres factory was taken over by the State in 1793 and in 1800 Napoléon Bonaparte appointed as its director Alexandre Brongniart.” (s. 169)
Pâte-sur-pâte (s. 170)
The earlies porcelain production was made at Strasbourg in 1751-1754. In the eighteenth century Limoges became the centre of the French porcelain industry, using of the local kaolin supplies. (s. 170)
(continues with porcelain in Italy and Spain, Scandinavia, Russia, Britain and Ireland)