the.com/porcelain
clay so refined it rings like a bell and survives a thousand years of dinner parties.
means A hard, white, translucent ceramic made from refined clay (especially kaolin) fired at high temperature, prized for tableware, art, and fine fixtures.
from From French 'porcelaine,' borrowed from Italian 'porcellana' — the name for the glossy cowrie shell, whose smooth pale sheen the imported Chinese ware resembled. The shell name itself comes from 'porcella,' 'little sow,' a frank and earthy nickname for the cowrie's curved, slotted shape, related to Latin 'porcus,' pig. So the most refined material at the table carries, buried in its name, a little pig.
- china origin
- Perfected in China centuries before Europe cracked the recipe
- fired hot
- Kilns reach 1400°C, vitrifying clay into glass-like stone
- translucent
- Thin enough that light passes through the body
- trade secret
- Europe hunted the formula for 200 desperate years
- rings true
- A flick produces a clear, sustained metallic chime
meissen porcelain — german hard-paste porcelain founded 1710, known for blue onion pattern and figurines
chinese imperial porcelain — ming dynasty (1368-1644) blue and white ceramics from jingdezhen kilns, world's finest