Facts About Porcelain

History of Porcelain

• Chinese porcelain dates to the Tang dynasty (618-907) and throughout the centuries Asian porcelain makers set the standard that would endure for these artistic treasures. It was during the Ming Dynasty that porcelain makers perfected the famous blue and white underglazed porcelain. It spread across Asia to Korea and Japan up until the 1700s, when Europeans who had been importing these ceramics came up with a satisfactory product that could compete with Chinese porcelain. It would be these differences in processes between the regions that would define porcelain over the centuries.

The Porcelain Process

• Unlike stoneware or earthenware, porcelain was originally a form of ceramics distinguished by its distinct process. It was made of two types of decomposed granite, the china clay of kaolin and the china stone of petuntse, and fired twice. It vitrifies, or turns to glass, during the second heating, or glazing process. Finished porcelain is identified by its white, delicate appearance, and its ability to let light through.

Types of Porcelain

• Porcelain comes in three types: hard-paste, soft-paste and bone china. Hard-paste porcelain harkens back to the original Chinese process with the kaolin and petuntse. Because it resists melting better than other types of porcelain, it can be fired at higher temperatures, which fuses the body and the glaze. Soft-paste is an imitation of the original porcelain that was created in Europe to duplicate Chinese porcelain. It mixes clay with glass-like substances that can melt at high temperatures, and therefore it never fully vitrifies and remains somewhat porous. Bone china is porcelain that blends bone ash from burned animal bones with the kaolin and petuntse, a process discovered by the English in 1750.

Uses

• Porcelain is collectible, both in chinaware and in decorative pieces such as vases. It is also collectible in the form of electrical insulators. It would eventually be replaced with threaded glass, which is equally as collectible. In addition to the dinnerware, durable porcelain also has practical applications. Porcelain can be used in floor tiles, sinks and building materials. Porcelain is even used in dental veneers.