3. Hard-paste porcelain

Hard-paste porcelain is considered by some to be noblest of all ceramic materials. It was developed in Europe around 1708-1709 by Bottger and Tschirnhaus. They were working in the court of Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, who opened the Meissen Porcelain Factory in 1710.

Hard-paste porcelain is usually a mixture of china clay (kaolin) and china stone (feldspar) with other ingredients. The mixture is processed to make a paste. The ingredients for the glaze are roughly the same as the paste, but in different proportions.

Hard-paste porcelain is translucent, which is very suitable for fine decoration. It became very popular throughout Europe. By the 20th century hard-paste porcelain was not only used to make tableware. It was also used to make sanitaryware, laboratory equipment and electronic insulators.


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4. Creamware

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