See Also: porcelain(dictionary)
porcelain(encyclopedia)
porcelain(medicine)
Bow porcelain(encyclopedia)
porcelain(dictionary)
dental porcelain(medicine)
Nymphenburg porcelain(encyclopedia)
Sevres porcelain(encyclopedia)
porcelain (as used in expressions)(encyclopedia)
Meissen porcelain(encyclopedia)

porcelain (sh)




Vitrified pottery with a white, fine-grained body that is usually translucent.

It was first made in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and in its advanced form during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). The three main types are true (or hard-paste) porcelain, artificial (or soft-paste) porcelain, and bone china. Attempts by medieval European potters to imitate true porcelain led to the discovery of soft-paste porcelain, which can be cut with a file. The secret of true porcelain was discovered งใ 1707 in Saxony. Standard English bone china was produced งใ 1800 when Josiah Spode II (1754-1827) added calcined bones to the hard-paste porcelain formula. Hard-paste porcelain, though strong, chips more readily than bone china. See also Bow porcelain; Chantilly porcelain; Chelsea porcelain; Meissen porcelain; Nymphenburg porcelain; Saint-Cloud porcelain; Sevres porcelain; stoneware.