Italy

Venetian potters were aware that porcelain was made from similar materials to other ceramics. They tried to work upwards from majolica and had tried for some time to produce porcelain based on glass, the Venetian speciality. A Venetian, Antonio de San Simeone is reported to have made a body close to porcelain using clay from Bologna, but nothing survives and details are lost. In the early 16^th century another Venetian made a frosted glass by adding zinc oxide to ordinary glass. Examples exist, but again it was not pursued.

Several factories made soft-paste porcelain in Italy, including those at Doccia (founded 1735 AD), Venice, Le Nove, near Venice (1762-1835 AD) and Capo-di-Monte.

Le Nove soft-paste tea bowl in Chinese
export style 1770-90 AD - courtesy R&G
McPherson Antiques

Doccia also made hard paste porcelain.

Doccia hard-paste porcelain
1760-80 AD, figure of
Scaramuccia from
“Comedia Dell’Arte”
- courtesy
R&G McPherson Antiques

Charles of Bourbon, son of Philip V of Spain became king of Naples in 1734 AD as Charles VII. His wife was the granddaughter of Augustus II (the Strong), so her influence may have fired up his interest in porcelain. After supporting much experimentation he founded the Capo-di-Monte pottery in 1743 AD making sizeable quantities of very good quality soft-paste porcelain, mainly tableware but also some large figures.

Capodimonte soft-paste porcelain jug 1755
AD, flowers and insect - courtesy R&G
McPherson Antiques

In 1759 AD his father died and Charles became Charles III of Spain. He decided to move the entire pottery and its craftsmen by boat to his summer residence, Buen Retiro near Madrid. From 1760 to 1804 AD the Buen Retiro factory produced soft-paste porcelain, but of decreasing quality. Hard-paste porcelain was made there from 1804 to 1808 AD, when the factory was destroyed in the Peninsular War. Meanwhile his son Ferdinand (1751-1825 AD) became king of Naples and restarted the pottery there in new premises in 1772 AD. Under the direction of Venuti from 1779 AD, the Royal Naples pottery produced exceptionally fine porcelain noted throughout Europe. Plaster busts of sculptures found at Herculaneum were recovered from the old factory and used as models. Various services were made for Royalty, including one for George III of England, called the “Etruscan” service. It was presented as a gift from Ferdinand, much to George’s delight. It was thought lost until rediscovered in a cupboard in Windsor Castle where it had been put for safekeeping! Ferdinand’s Capo-di-Monte factory was caught up in the French invasion and Neapolitan uprising and although it struggled on, it was sold to French investors in the early 19^th century. In 1867 AD Alfonso Majello restarted the factory named after him making Capo-di-Monte wares and it continues to today.

Capodimonte billiard game signed B Mali

Germany

In Germany, early experiments were based on glass coloured white with tin oxide, but potters could not shape it. Augustus the Strong was Elector of Saxony from 1694 to 1733 AD and also ruled Poland and Lithuania. The term Elector was to signify his right (amongst around 8 or 9 archbishops and rulers) to vote for a new Holy Roman Emperor. Saxony was one of Germany’s richest princely states. He had become an avid collector of Chinese and Japanese porcelain and admitted that his passion had become “porcelain madness”.