C is for China

China in this context refers to a type of fine pottery/table ware made from kaolin clay heralding from the Kao-ling area of China. This region set a standard for its exceptionally fine translucent porcelain that was unsurpassed until the late 18th C. Porcelain China can be one of three types based on the minerals which are added into the kaolin base: Hard Paste (from China for Centuries, grey/blue color, easily chipped), Soft Paste (from Europe to simulate Chinese porcelain, creamy color, fragile), and Bone China (Stoke-on-Trent, England by Josiah Spode, 1770, white color, translucent, durable). Wedgwood, founded by Josiah Wedgwood in 1765, imitated hard paste porcelain and joined the ranks of Staffordshire manufacturers in producing fine china. In 1771 the Limoges region of France became noted for its beautiful, soft paste porcelain known to this day as Limoges.

Hard Paste China was imported by the boatload into the US during the late 19th C, via the East India Company of England. Pieces known as Canton and Nanking Ware were popularly decorated in the Blue Willow pattern and were affordable alternatives to the exquisite Bone China manufactured by Josiah Spode. As a ceramicist and chemist, Spode is credited with perfecting Fine Bone China as we know it today. Ox bone is incorporated into the kaolin clay mix, creating the whitest, strongest, most translucent china in the world. Spode China is still manufactured and graces the homes of heads of state, Royalty and Presidents.

Vintage pieces abound for the keen eye. Why not gather a few for your lovely home?

K is for Kaolin Clay and Limoges

Limoges is a porcelain from the Limoges region of France. From the 1880's through WW I Limoges, France was prized for its kaolin clay and the quality of the product that particular clay produced. Kaolin is named after the Chinese region Kao-ling, where it was mined for Centuries. Samples of kaolin were sent to Europe by a French Jesuit Missionary somewhere during the 1700's. It is considered a soft past porcelain and it was mixed with bone ash to harden it into bone china. This type of china is not as translucent or hard as what is considered a 'true' china. Many manufacturers sold Limoges china and it was considered the premium brand for formal tableware. At the turn of the 20th Century, blank pieces of Limoges were sold and hand painted by amateur artists as a hobby. The French, English and Italians were all making soft past porcelain by the mid 1800's; Queen Victoria (1837-1901) along with industrialization and affluence popularized the elaborate dinner displays of wealth and luxury, utilizing countless pieces during endless courses.

In 1840, David Haviland opened a shop in New York and a factory in Limoges, France. His company, Haviland & Company, produced porcelain that was designed specifically for American export and taste. Limoges, France, was the center of the kaolin-based porcelain industry until 1906. Tastes and porcelain styles began to change with the trend toward hard paste porcelain production. In your search for Limoges china you will come to appreciate its delicacy and loveliness. It mixes beautifully with simple modern tableware and effects a truly elegant touch to a special dinner. Enjoy!