pottery and porcelain

The Kilns, by G S Shepherd (1831), clearly showing how the manufacture of household ceramics was, by this time, being carried out on an industrial scale. In a short space of time, certain areas of England - notably around Stoke-on-Trent - became world-renowned for fine china and porcelain.

A porcelain vase made by the Minton factory in Stoke-on-Trent, England, between 1811 and 1863. Beautifully sculpted and decorated, and incorporating a number of echoes of classical times, this vase was not intended as anything but a showpiece.

Two items of an ‘Egyptian’ service of tableware, made by the French Manufacture Nationale de Porcelaine - better known as Sèvres - on the outskirts of Paris, France. Now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, they form part of a service reputedly sent by Napoleon to the Duke of Wellington.

One of the finest of all Meissen figures, a bear in hard-paste porcelain, modelled by Johann Joachim Kändler between 1732 and 1735. The Meissen factory, in Dresden, Germany, was founded in 1710, and reached a peak in quality and artistry during the 1730s.

A jar with cover ‘flambé glazed in Sung style’, made at the Doulton factory during the 1930s and marked ‘Royal Doulton’. Doulton & Co was established at Burslem, Staffordshire, England, in 1882. The name ‘Royal Doulton’ was incorporated in a number of marks from 1902.

A classic 19th-century Sèvres ‘Saigon’ vase. By the beginning of the 19th century, the heyday of Sèvres was all but over. Although the factory's reputation for superb quality was undimmed, its dominance as leader of style in courtly elegance had faded.

China clay, or kaolin, is used in the manufacture of fine porcelain. The modern production method is a three-part process. First, the earth overlying the clay is removed, and a high-pressure water jet is fired at the quarry face, liberating the clay. The clay must then be sifted and refined to remove impurities before finally being dried to reduce its moisture content.

A Moroccan potter at work in Fès. Pottery is one of the main industries in Fès.

Ceramics in domestic and ornamental use, including earthenware, stoneware, and bone china (or softpaste porcelain). Made of 5% bone ash and china clay, bone china was first made in the West in imitation of Chinese porcelain. The standard British bone china was developed about 1800, with a body of clay mixed with ox bones; a harder version, called parian, was developed in the 19th century and was used for figurine ornaments.

Hardpaste porcelain is characterized by its hardness, ringing sound when struck, translucence, and shining finish, like that of a cowrie shell (Italian porcellana). It is made of kaolin and petuntse (fusible feldspar consisting chiefly of silicates reduced to a fine white powder); it is high-fired at 1,400°C/2,552°F. Porcelain first evolved from stoneware in China in about the 6th century AD. A formula for making porcelain was developed in the 18th century in Germany, also in France, Italy, and Britain. It was first produced in the USA in the early 19th century.