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48
Fascination
with Porcelain
house& home | February 2009 | house andhomeonline.com
BY DEBI BRYANT
Think of every world history
class you’ve ever taken —
the exotic Orient, sea trade and silk
routes, the Renaissance, Napoleon’s
exploits, the great wars, American
stories. All of these events are revealed
in porcelain, a substance both strong
and delicate.
A BRIEF HISTORY
The Chinese perfected the art of
porcelain during the dynastic eras
between 200 B.C. and 220 A.D. By
firing fine, white kaolin clay at high
temperatures, they were able to create
translucent vessels, figurines and dishes
that rang like a bell when tapped. The
mesmerizing beauty of porcelain has
captivated collectors through the ages.
These fragile works of art and decorative
wares traveled to the European
continent sometime before the 14th
century when trade with China
opened and became highly prized by
European aristocracy. The first European
porcelain developed in Meissen,
Germany, when Germans perfected
the formula that would emulate the
highly valued Chinese porcelain.
“Europeans first made porcelain
figurines that were meant to be seen
from all sides,” explains Geoffrey
Westergaard, president of Carl Moore
Antiques. “Then came the dinner
services, using vibrant colors intended
to dazzle the eye. The dinner pieces
became part of the visual feast, the
virtuoso effect, on the table.
Everything had a reflective quality —
the porcelain, silver and crystal — that
showed off your wealth and kept your
place in society.”
COLLECTING ANTIQUE PORCELAIN A LESSON IN WORLD HISTORY
ABOVE: A pair of
hand-painted porcelain
birds with spectacular
plumage from France,
circa 1875, Carl Moore
Antiques
LEFT: From Carl
Moore Antiques,
Napoleon III period
18-piece porcelain tea
set with hand-painted
botanical decoration
from France, circa 1860
Says edish.com manager Don
Browne, “You can see the cycles of
culture, taste and styles in the decorative
arts, including porcelain. Looking
at antiquities, the decorative arts were
very plain, then decorations were
slowly added. Fast forward to the
Rococo period and designs were over
the top. We then returned to simpler
forms with neo-classicism, which was
followed by the Victorian’s preference
for the feminine and frilly. Now we’re
in the organic shapes of the Modern
period.”