Ceramic goods made of clay, sand or other soils and minerals are usually classified as either pottery or porcelain. Pottery, a low temperature fired product is characterized by being thick, porous, usually dark colored, and, more often than not, utilitarian. Porcelain on the other hand, is usually thin and dainty, non-porous, translucent, and white. This is due to the high temperature at which it is made and the base mixture of special clays.

 

Porcelain, sometimes, called pasteware, is made with kaolin and other special ingredients. It can be delineated as being either hard or soft. The soft is more of "pseudo-porcelain", which may contain ground glass, and the hard is pure. The word bisque is used for porcelain that has not been glazed.

 

The term "china" probably originated in the 18th century, partly by accident. Both Britain and American enjoyed the lovely dinnerware and accessories that were being brought back from the Orient. Urban ports in the new world were filled with containers of decorated Chinese export porcelain, much of it made specifically for commercial trade. This new product, Chinese export porcelain, had many names, but the easiest to remember and the one that stuck was "the stuff that cam from China," or china ware. It didn't take long for the phrase to be shortened to china.

 

American hand long been accustomed to ceramic items, but they were all pottery. Redware, named for the reddish-orange glaze was predominant in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was crude and fragile. Stoneware, the gray colored crocks and jugs, were an improvement, but still had a thick and heavy look, even when decorated in blue with birds or flowers. Ironstone, a semi-porcelain product, became fashionable later, particularly in bowl and pitcher sets. It had some characteristics of the better porcelain, but was still pottery based. Yelloware, a popular country collectible today, is very similar to both stoneware and ironstone, except for its distinctive yellow-brown glaze decorated with bands of colors.

 

Attempts at discovering the secret of porcelain's recipe were made by many European and American companies. Wedgwood, in England, was one of the first, as was Meissen, in the town of Dresden, Germany. American tried and failed. One of the first was the Tucker plant in Philadelphia in 1838. It was short lived. It wasn't until 1890 that a firm became successful - Lenox from New Jersey.  (It actually started out as the Ott & Brewer Company. They made an American beleek that resembled the Irish one.) It has become the one true American porcelain that is sought for quality and beauty.

 

As you can see, the name of a product may have a long history. It also describes the features and identifies the item or maker. One learns to be precise, just like naming your children. Remember, porcelain is thin, elegant, and translucent. Potter is thick, heavier, and dark. An although not a crime, it's best to forget the word china when describing your bric-a-brac. Now who thought us that name?  Article by Leon Castner, Senior Partner, National Appraisal Consultants, Hope, NJ www.nacvalue.com

 

Illustrated is "Morning Watch", an original painting on porcelain by Hebe Wiseman.