How Europeans Learned To Made Their Own Porcelain Chinese Tea Sets
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009Chinese inventions were heralded throughout antiquity, and for good reason. A number of things from China, such as the compass, were adopted and used by people all over the world. But one invention in particular, porcelain Chinese tea sets, is widely regarded as the best item to come out of this country.
But after these great tea sets were introduced to Europe, Westerners couldn’t get enough and local artisans tried to master this art. Chinese porcelain was so fine and elegant, even princes and kings wanted some, and even just having one such item in your home became a huge status symbol.
In the beginning, European kilns produced almost nothing that could compete with the Chinese tea sets. Artisans just couldn’t figure out the process. What’s more, there didnt seem to be any of the right clay anywhere. The formula was confusing, and the firing techniques were just beyond their skill level.
Then a young European alchemist came on the scene. Just 19 years old, Johann Bottger was given the impossible task of turning lead into gold for the kind of Poland. When he failed, he was jailed for a long time. But it was during this period that he started to study how to make porcelain.
It was with the support of a local leader who was simple obsessed with porcelain that Johann was able to get a hold of the clay he needed to produce truly great items. Now he had the materials, the only question was the technique.
Eventually, Johann figured it out! After many failed attempts, he started mixing the proper materials together with the precious clay and produced his first porcelain item. He also constructed a kiln that could compete with those in China.
He made tiny test tiles that were the first porcelain items ever made in Europe. But that was all he could do.
The rest of the mystery was solved by a Jesuit missionary in China. At about the same time of Johann Bottger’s experiments, Pere d’Entrecolles, a Jesuit priest, made his way into Chinas Jingdezhen, where the worlds best porcelain was made. Seven years later he published two voluminous letters that detailed the process of making Jingdezhen porcelain. And before long, factories making porcelain were established across Europe.
Was this the earliest industrial espionage?