History of Porcelain

The name "china" is a direct reference to the origins of porcelain in China over 3000 years ago. In the seventeenth century, trading routes were established between the Far East and Europe introducing this refined and translucent ceramic to a new continent.

Europeans were fascinated by the beauty and mystery of porcelain. The tremendous demand for porcelain as well as the inherent difficulty in transport inspired many Europeans to attempt to replicate its qualities. Unlike cruder forms of earthenware, porcelain is industrially made, specifically with the fine, white clay of decomposed granite rock. This white clay is what gives porcelain its beautiful translucency. It was not until 1709 that German chemist, Johann Friedrich Böttger, in collaboration with two other chemists, devised a formula for porcelain. The following year, production commenced in the small town of Dresden. The factory was later moved to the more metropolitan city of Meissen as insulation from the political turmoil that was taking place in the European countries east of Germany.

In its first few decades, the Meissen factory manufactured mostly table service. It wasn't until the late 1730's that a talented young sculptor by the name of Johann Joachim Kändler created small figurines in porcelain. Soon, the entire court community was reproduced in these delicate figurines. The porcelain dolls pictured here are made in the same manner as the original Meissen figurines.