Porcelain products in our modern world
“Do we want to use the Good China?” Porcelain is an extremely hard substance made by combining a white clay called kaolin with petuntse, a form of feldspar, found only in China. It is ground to a fine powder and fired at 2200° ƒ. Melting these together form a very hard and durable non-porous natural glass. This, while holding its shape when molded is highly heat resistant. Artificial porcelains are not as strong or heat resistant as they are fired at much lower temperatures, making them much more susceptible to breakage. Bone china is made by adding the ash of burned animal bones to the kaolin, petuntse mixture. English porcelain makers discovered this process in 1750. Although not quite as durable as that made without the ash, it is more translucent and a preferred process for that reason. The painting and decorating are done in several ways. The most common of these is the deep blue cobalt seen in most examples from England and China. Enamel colors can also be added, but require a second firing to make them more permanent. Chinese and English differed in their methods. English methods can be spotted by the lack of dark lines separating the colors as used by the Chinese, where as the English blended together with no line. Transfer painting, where a design goes first from a copper plate to tissue paper and transferred to the porcelain object is used making mass production possible. Oriental porcelain dates back to the Tang Dynasty ( 618-907ad). Most porcelain since the 1300's has come from the city of Jingdezden and is regarded as the finest product over the centuries. Those products from the Ming and Qing Dynasties ( 1368-1912) are considered as artistic treasures by most collectors. The painting of enamel over the glaze became a popular technique during this period as well. Many of the products, especially out of Japan, are considered art treasures. One of these, kakiemon is especially prized. First produced about 1600, it features simple designs on white backgrounds as opposed to Imari Ware or Arita which incorporates dense colors of blues and reds. The original porcelain brought into England in the 1600's , was very expensive. For that reason French and English porcelains were in great demand even thought they were using the cheaper soft porcelain. In 1708 the hard paste porcelain was developed in Germany by chemist Johann Bottger. This led to a factory in Meisson. Their products, known as Dresden porcelain was considered the finest in Europe for nearly a century. Worchester porcelain introduced in 1751 became the standard of English porcelain due to its wide variety of colors and designs and made mostly out of bone china. Porcelain today is made mostly in the United States ( Lenox), Germany ( Rosenthal) and Japan ( Noritake). Porcelains have had many uses throughout history. Today, besides statues , collector plates, and other art objects, it is used extensively in plumbing fixtures, electrical insulators as well as the aero space industries and a host of other use. Porcelain plates have always been considered a beautiful gift for any bride- to -be. Serving on porcelain has come to be considered a loving way to welcome guests and to show how special they are. Yes, we will be using our good china tonight for it is a tradition that has certainly spanned the ages.
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