Pottery Spotted Dog Figurine

Glad I ashed!

 

Seriously -- I really am! I have wanted to know about Lenox for years. Never knew anyone who was privy to the answer. Also, didn't know they made white. My own china is Spode, and white as the driven snow, as I really don't like to use or wear any shade of off white. (Must have had an early childhood episode with Ivory soap -- which isn't ivory, but whitewhite.)

If there is a book on the dramatic history of porcelain, please let me know. I really LOVE such stories, and would like to bone up.*

(*I know, I know...I just couldn't not. But I really DO want to know!)

 

Hi Walter,
Thanks for the information. That makes sense to me.
Since Lenox was sold to Dept 56 all Lenox is made overseas EXCEPT for the dinnerware which is still being made in NC. It is expected to be sent overseas in the near future. So if you are wanting more pieces you should buy them now.
greg

 

Hi Silver,
Lenox was made in colors such as pink, green, blue, lilac etc until the early 50s. Pink was continued until 1956 when it was phased out. I love the cream color on my white cloths. I like plain china with just a gold rim, really ritzy silverware and cubic glasses like Fostoria's American pattern.
A lot of the information on Lenox was shared by a friend of mine who was a historian for Lenox for 40 years. She passed last year and I miss her and her knowledge.
greg

 

There's a book titled The Arcanum: Extraordinary True Story of the Invention of European Porcelain by Janet Gleeson That tells about Bottger and his discovery of hard paste porcelain in Saxony and its subsequent dissemination. He was an alchemist (as mentioned) on the run from one court when he sought refuge in another. For his trouble, he spent the rest of his life under house arrest in Saxony (to protect his secrets and August's monopoly). Porcelain was a sideline to his real research on turning base metals into gold.

His first ceramic development, Bottger ware, is an extremely hard (and quite beautiful) chocolate-colored stoneware.

As an alchemist he had need of high temperature ceramics for use as crucibles. I've wondered if other alchemists with the same needs hadn't developed hard paste porcelain without recognizing what it was.

One of the earliest soft paste porcelain was developed a good hundred years before anyone else by one of the Medici archdukes (I forget which one). He was one of the more eccentric members of that clan, an alchemist in his own right and something of a recluse. There's only about 20 pieces of his stuff surviving.

The clay for hard paste is called kaolin and has a very high silica content.

 

Have never heard about any of that -- except I do know what kaolin is. Will try to find that book!

(Just so that my ego doesn't melt into my shoes, I'll bet that most people don't know what marl is, where to find it, and what it is used for.)

 

"As an alchemist he had need of high temperature ceramics for use as crucibles. I've wondered if other alchemists with the same needs hadn't developed hard paste porcelain without recognizing what it was."

Moreotherstuff has just shown a collector's true instinct to think outside the box. Congratulations.
In 2007 Archaeology Magazine published an article based on the research of Dr. Marcos Martinon-Torres. His research shows that in Austira during the 15th century very special crucibles were being made to withstand high heat. These crucible,later known as Hessian Crucibles, were greatly desired and were shipped throughout Europe. Torres' research showed that the secret ingredient in the crucibles was Mullite. Mullite, it turns out, is a rare mineral in the Kaolin family. Dr. Torres and I have communicated with one another over time about the subject which continues to fascinate us both.
So the answer to Moreotherstuff's question is "Yes", the secret of porcelain had accidentally been discovered in Europe by the 1400's.

Below is the article (pdf) as it appeared in the magazine.

 

very interesting

 

Wow, this is an interesting thread! Thanks to Bob, I read The Arcanum: Extraordinary True Story of the Invention of European Porcelain by Janet Gleeson and it was fascinating -- and full of intrigue and court politics. Walter, how interesting about mullite and Hessian crucibles!