After a great deal of further experimentation with different constituents, in January 1708 AD Bottger’s records show that, after firing, three of the seven batches came out white and translucent rather than red. In November 1708 AD Tschirnhaus died. Bottger wrote to Augustus in March 1709 AD promising to make fine white porcelain using this local clay, calcined alabaster and quartz. Feldspar was not an ingredient until 1724 AD. Based on this assurance Augustus decreed the setting up of a porcelain factory in Dresden in January 1710 AD, although it was moved to Albrechtsburg in Meissen on 6^th June 1710 AD. There were huge problems to achieve consistent porcelain quality, and there were many kiln failures. Decoration was mainly in relief, as painting proved very difficult. The commercial launch of the white porcelain was at the Leipzig Fair in 1713 AD. Meissen wares became the basis of the largest artistic-industrial undertaking in Europe. The earliest hard porcelain was rather “yellowish” or “smoky”, not particularly translucent and with a greenish often-bubbly glaze, as it contained calcium sulphate rather than feldspar, but the quality had improved by 1715. Underglaze blue colouring was attempted but not successfully. Some examples were decorated years later. Bottger was a virtual prisoner until 1715 AD, and under considerable pressure as “administrator” of the factory, so took to drink and died aged only 37 in March 1719 AD.

Bottger saucer 1715 AD, decorated outside
Meissen in 1735 AD probably by J.F.Metzch
- courtesy R&G McPherson Antiques

12.1.6 Spread of the Technology

The secret of porcelain manufacture, or the “Arcanum” as it was known in the 18^th century, was closely guarded in Meissen. However, the secret of their red stoneware was leaked in 1713 AD when the kiln master, Kempe, left to join an operation owned by a Prussian Minister, Friedrich von Gorne, and at the Leipzig Fair in 1715 AD identical wares were displayed. In 1717 AD Claude Du Paquier, the founder of the Vienna porcelain factory, recruited a Meissen enameller, C C Hunger. He soon found that Hunger did not know the whole process, but two further Meissen workers S Stoltzel, Bottger’s assistant, who also arranged for some Saxony kaolin to be obtained, and Bottger’s stepbrother arrived in Vienna in 1718 AD. They now had sufficient of the technology for production of its first pieces to begin in May 1719 AD. It became only the second factory in Europe to produce hard-paste porcelain.

Du Paquier produced much fine porcelain in Vienna for his benefactor Charles VI (the Holy Roman Emperor), who granted him a monopoly in May 1718 AD for the production and sale of porcelain throughout the Emperors domain. His quirky designs were based on Chinese or silver shapes with floral sprigged grounds and formal borders, and after 1730 AD also in the European baroque style.

Du Paquier hard-paste porcelain dish, 1740-44 AD
- courtesy R&G McPherson Antiques

He also produced excellent wares decorated in black monochrome. Vienna became the centre of the spread of hard porcelain technology, partly due to the peripatetic J J Ringler who was there from 1745-50 AD and then at Hochst, Strasbourg, Nymphenburg, Ellwangen and Ludwigsburg. In 1720 AD C C Hunger moved on to the Vezzi brothers in Venice. In the same year Stoltzel moved back to Meissen taking with him J G Horoldt, who became one of the most famous Meissen decorators. The Viennese Porcelain Manufactory deteriorated until Conrad von Sorgenthal was appointed director in 1784 AD, who ensured the survival of the factory. Although Meissen was the source of much European hard paste porcelain technology, Russian (Vinogradoff 1744 AD), Thuringian (Greiner 1783 AD) and (Sitzendorf 1760 AD) hard paste porcelain was arrived at independently.