A porcelain body developed in Britain in the late 18th century, which included a large amount (up to 50%) of bone ash. This body had the advantage of being white, translucent, and durable, the latter meaning the ‘thermal shock’ of hot/cold water being applied to the body was absorbed very well. As a result, pouring hot tea into a bone-china cup was not as likely to cause thermal-shock cracking to the porcelain.
Category: Ceramics Types
The various types of ceramic bodies.
Bow Porcelain 1747-76
‘New Canton’ began producing ‘soft-paste’ porcelain near the village of Stratford-le-Bow, east London, in around 1748. They imitated the Chinese Export ‘hard-paste’ porcelains that were so in-demand at that period.
There was an earlier patent for porcelain taken out in 1744 by Edward Heylyn and Thomas Frye, and a small group of items – some marked with an ‘A’ and therefore known as ‘A-mark’ – have been attributed to this earlier effort.
Frye took out his further patent in 1748, and began commercial production of items characterised by a dense body with a ‘greasy’ looking glaze and bright blue cobalt or colourful enamels.
Around 1755 there is a change in the body to a lighter ‘floury’ body.
Translucency can be quite clear, mostly with a brownish tinge.
Marks are not always found, but include mock-Chinese characters, numbers, ‘workman’s marks’, and occasionally crossed swords copying Meissen.
The factory struggled with sales and quality in the early 1770’s, closing in 1776.
Drybody
Describes a fine-textured, vitrified stoneware pottery that needs no glaze to retain liquids – so it keeps a ‘dry-body’.
Qajar
The Qajar Dynasty, or the ‘Persian’ Empire , controlled parts the area of present day countries Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, as well as the southern parts of Georgia.
The Qajars ruled from 1779 to 1924, coming from Astarabad, south-east of the Caspian Sea. Under the Qajars the capital of Persia was moved to Tehran.
They were very highly educated, and proud of the past history of their lands. As a result, their artforms incorporate historical details of a number of earlier cultures, such as the Mesopotamian civilizations. As an islamic nation, they were Shia, which allowed the portrayal of the human image.
Their technology followed the ancient methods in ceramics, such as Iznik pottery – but were also eager to embrace the western technological advances such as railroads. A university opened in Tehran in 1851.
The major powers of the 19th century – Britain, America, and Russia – all manipulated the rulers and the region, and a series of disruptive interventions and revolutions caused the destruction of the dynasty in 1924.
