Porcelain is the queen of ceramics. For hundreds of years it has enriched our lives, added luster to our homes, and stimulated our artistic sensibilities.

The Egyptians claim to have produced porcelain some time after 2000 BC, but true porcelain was probably made in China during the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 AD.) The existing stoneware industry gradually developed the high temperature techniques and manufacturing know-how to produce the finest and most durable ceramic in history - porcelain.

For centuries the Chinese dominated the world porcelain industry, guarding their techniques jealously. Color, luster, durability, and distribution were monopolized by the Chinese artisans. Indeed, to this day, the terms “China” and “Porcelain” are interchangeable.

In the 1500s, however, the secret procedures spread to Korea and Japan. In Europe, the aristocracy, and the growing merchant class loved the durability and artistry of the vases, teacups, and figurines from the East. Although the Europeans were unable to duplicate Chinese techniques, they developed a soft-paste porcelain industry, which began to compete with authentic porcelain on the world stage. First Italian, then French, German, and English porcelain manufacturers began to give the Chinese a run for their money.

By the late 1700s, the French, in the Limoges region, finally mastered the production techniques for hard-paste porcelain. The Germans in Meissen followed suit, and in England, Josiah Spode mixed soft-paste porcelain and bone ash to produce bone china.

Today, there are three main types of porcelain - hard-paste, soft-paste, and bone china. Hard-paste is the benchmark. Fired at very high temperatures, the glassy paste, colors, and glaze fuse into a single, beautiful piece of art. Soft-paste, though less durable than true porcelain, has its own merits. Its naturally creamy texture makes for a soft and silky beauty. Bone china, almost exclusively produced in England, falls between true porcelain and soft-paste in durability. The addition of bone ash produces a distinctive and translucent surface sheen.

We are still unearthing porcelain artifacts from ancient times. The enduring beauty of this timeless fusion of art and technology reminds us that like us, our distant ancestors could lift their eyes to the heavens and produce sublime art from common clay.