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Chinese inventions were heralded throughout antiquity, and for good reason. A number of things from China, such as the compass, were adopted and used by people all over the world. But one invention in particular, porcelain Chinese tea sets, is widely regarded as the best item to come out of this country.
But after these great tea sets were introduced to Europe, Westerners couldn’t get enough and local artisans tried to master this art. Chinese porcelain was so fine and elegant, even princes and kings wanted some, and even just having one such item in your home became a huge status symbol.
For many years, Western kilns produced almost nothing in the same league as China’s tea sets. They had no idea how the Chinese did it. What’s more, there didnt seem to be any of the pure white clay anywhere.
But then, a very young Chemist started trying to learn how to produce porcelain. Not even 20 years old, Johann Bottger was trying to turn lead into gold for a famous king. When he was unsuccessful, he was locked up. But while in prison, he started to study how to make porcelain.
With the support of porcelain-infatuated August the Strong, Johann found the right clay high in the Alps, and August gave him a constant supply.
With hard work and little bit of of luck, Johann discovered the right ratio of clay and other materials to make pure white porcelain. And he built a kiln that could reach temperatures that matched those of the Chinese kilns.
He made tiny test tiles that were the first porcelain items ever made in Europe. But that was all he could do.
The rest of the mystery was solved by a Jesuit missionary in China. At about the same time of Johann Bottger’s experiments, Pere d’Entrecolles, a Jesuit priest, made his way into Chinas Jingdezhen, where the worlds best porcelain was made. Seven years later he published two voluminous letters that detailed the process of making Jingdezhen porcelain. And before long, factories making porcelain were established across Europe.
This may have been one of the earliest acts of industrial espionage!
Tags: Europe
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