Porcelain: Beauty and Strength that has Withstood the Test of Time

To celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month, this week we are going to talk about one of our favorite ceramics, porcelain! Porcelain is a white bodied, fine-grained ceramic that originates from China. It is fired at an extremely high temperature, which makes it almost glass-like, or vitrified. In China it is defined as pottery that is resonant when struck, while in the west it is defined as pottery that is translucent when held up to light. However, there are so many different types of porcelain, especially these days, that neither of these definitions work all of the time when describing it. 

Portrait of Italian Explorer, Marco Pollo 
(Courtesy of Britannica)

Early forms of porcelain appeared in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907), but the form similar to what we see today was first made during the Yuan Dynasty (1279 to 1368). It got its name from Marco Pollo, an Italian explorer, who referred to it as porcellana, which is the Italian word for cowrie shell. He called it this because it appeared to have a similar color and texture. Chinese porcelain is made from petuntse, otherwise called China stone, which is feldpathic rock, which is ground into a powder and mixed with kaolin. It is fired at extreme temperatures, reaching 2,650 degrees Fahrenheit!  The petuntse and the high temperature is what makes the ceramic glass-like, and the kaolin helps to retain the vessels shape. 

True porcelain cannot be cut with a file and dirt can be easily washed off the vessel even if it is unglazed. Ceramic glaze is a substance that is applied to the vessel and when fired, becomes hard and glass-like. Many porcelain vessels are glazed, but this is purely for decorative purposes, as hard porcelain is already vitrified. Other types of pottery require a glaze in order to be impermeable to water and to resist staining. 

As far as porcelain we find at archaeological sites in the U.S., we can divide it up into two broad

Celadon porcelain bowl, with gold lacquer repair,
Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) (courtesy of
The Metropolitan Museum of Art).

categories, export and domestic porcelain. Export porcelain was made specifically for export out of China. A large portion of it was blue and white, but it can also be found with more colorful patterns, and much of it was made in more European forms (think gravy boats, English-style tea pots and tea cups). Domestic porcelain was made for Chinese use, but it can be found outside China in places like U.S. railroad camps out west (which heavily relied on Chinese labor), or in Chinatowns across the country. Popular patterns and decoration for domestic porcelain include Bamboo, Double Happiness, and Celadon. 

Chinese porcelain, as well as porcelains made in 

Europe and other parts of Asia, continue to be a popular collectors item today. This ceramic has stood the test of time and seems to have won some popularity contest. From fine antique china to china dolls, porcelain remains one of the most collected ceramics. And here is a fun fact for you, porcelain is the only ceramic that won't stick to your tongue! Yes, archaeologists have been known to press a ceramic sherd to their tongue to determine if it is porcelain or not. Because it is so vitreous, it is non porous and therefore won't absorb moisture and stick to your tongue! And now you know!