The Discovery of European Porcelain Technology

Abstract

The European quest for the hard paste porcelain lasted until about 1710, when the first production unit was built at Meissen in Saxony. Although, it is generally believed that Bottger discovered the European porcelain technology, this work shows that the German porcelain quest was a State affair; a collective project directed by Tschirnhaus and supported by August the Strong. It also aims to shed light to the reasons that led to Tschirnhaus's relative oblivion. Considering three distinct temporal stages, we re-examine the roles of the main contributors to the porcelain project, referring to the role of the Mercantilism system and to the philosophical roots of Tschirnhaus's method.