Ceramics & Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material
Ceramics is a collective term for fired-clay objects. Porcelain is one ceramic material group, alongside earthenware and stoneware. Earthenware is generally more porous. Stoneware is high-fired, dense and hard. Body, firing and glaze need to be considered together.
Body and surface are different layers
Hard-paste porcelain is made with ingredients including kaolin, feldspar and quartz. Soft-paste porcelain and bone china are further varieties. Hard-paste porcelain has a pale, dense body that can be translucent in thin sections. A glossy glaze is not essential: porcelain figures may deliberately remain unglazed as biscuit. Conversely, a white, glossy surface does not establish porcelain. Tin-glazed earthenware can also have a white surface.
A long and varied history
Ceramic figures from Dolní Věstonice in present-day Czechia belong to the Palaeolithic. This was long before Neolithic farming societies. The history of fired-clay figures and the history of ceramic cooking vessels are also distinct developments.
China and European porcelain production
Porcelain developed in China long before European production. Meissen’s own history distinguishes a successful hard-paste porcelain firing in 1708 from the establishment of the manufactory and production site in 1710. An experimental result and a factory’s foundation are different events.
A museum example in red stoneware
The Met’s Meissen figure of Guanyin, 1974.356.319, dates from 1710 to 1713 and is red stoneware with gilding. Its model was a Chinese porcelain figure. A shared motif and the manufacturer’s name therefore do not automatically establish the same material. Figures, tableware and vases require individual identification.
Identification without damaging tests
Florida Museum distinguishes body, surface treatment and decoration when identifying ceramics. A pattern can occur on different bodies. Photograph the foot ring, reverse and existing damaged areas without making new breaks or scratches. Record marks and model numbers and compare them with documented catalogue or museum information.
Condition and handling
Never strike an object against a hard surface to test its ring. Ceramics are brittle and old repairs may be weak. Support with both hands instead of lifting by a handle or spout. Do not wash flaking glaze or unstable decoration. Consult a conservator about damage, stains or adhesive residues.
Age or a familiar factory mark establishes no particular collector value. Record chips, cracks, wear, repairs and missing parts before comparison with similar objects. Browse ceramics and porcelain at OBA.
Sources
C. Corvaia, Western Australian Museum: Ceramics; V&A: An A to Z of Ceramics; Dr Stan Florek, Australian Museum: Dolní Věstonice; Meissen: History; The Met: Guanyin, 1974.356.319; Florida Museum: Ceramic Identification; CCI Notes 5/1
