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The art of making decorated porcelain ware originated in China thousands of years ago. From 960 through 1279, during the Song dynasty, emperors established factories to make porcelain for the royal family. During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the familiar underglazed blue and white patterns that many people think of as "china" were developed, and detailed decorative painting over glaze became common.
Porcelain, called china, was exported to Europe as early as the 1100s, but it was rare and only available to the very wealthy. During the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), a wider variety of designs were exported. Demand for china cups and saucers grew as drinking tea, coffee, and chocolate became common practice...
European manufacturers attempted to make hard-paste porcelain in response to the demand, and began successfully competing with Chinese porcelain during the 18th century. France became the leading manufacturer of soft-paste porcelain, and the German Meissen factory perfected European hard-paste porcelain.
Meanwhile, England began producing bone china in large quantities, lead by Josiah Spode. However, due to its high cost, porcelain was still restricted predominantly to the upper-class and royalty (hence manufacturer names like Royal Copenhagen and Royal Doulton) until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Although technical advances made porcelain available to a wider range of people during the 19th century, earthenware (baked clay) and stoneware (clay fired at an intense heat to make it nonporous) continued to be popular for dinnerware items.
Mass-production of china and dinnerware began in the late 19th century, with a corresponding decline in the quality of craftsmanship and materials. Fine porcelain dinnerware was more commonly used for decoration than to hold food. (In addition to dinnerware, prominent makers also created ornamental figurines featuring people and animals.) By the 20th century, colorful functional designs – such as Franciscan and Fiesta – were in high demand.
Collectors today have access to a wide variety of antique and vintage china and dinnerware. In this section we provide a sampling of some of the major makers, styles and regions, including British (Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Spode, Wedgwood, Royal Worcester, Johnson Brothers), Japanese (Noritake), German (Meissen), French (Limoges, Haviland), Danish (Royal Copenhagen), and American (stoneware, Fiesta, Franciscan, Lenox, Red Wing).
See all 21 China and Dinnerware events
I’m the curator of the ceramics bit of the Bowes Museum. It’s a big museum with 30 galleries of which three or four… [more]
I started as a collector and I’m a web designer, so I thought I would design a website from my passion. I threw it … [more]
In the 19th century affluent Americans enjoyed ready access to the ceramic markets of the world. The result was the… [more]
Through sheer longevity and persistence, the term Oriental Lowestoft has become the designation for all Chinese por… [more]
Although English artists began working very early in other media, the making of portrait busts and statues in ceram… [more]
It is always a matter of pleasure to collectors, who visit antiques shows, to find the commercial aspect made somew… [more]
Whilst much thought and attention has been given to the purely decorative figures and objects produced by the 18th-… [more]
"A sett of large blue and white China with the badge of the Society of the Cincinnati if to be had, " wrote George … [more]
When one sees a piece of Oriental Lowestoft or a China trade item, the clock turns back a century and a half or mor… [more]
Jan-Erik Nilsson's extensive reference on antique Chinese porcelain. Jam-packed with information (e.g. on porcelain… [read review or visit site]
Mark Gonzalez's fantastic American Dinnerware site features a comprehensive index of potteries along the upper Ohio… [read review or visit site]
Dedicated to Watt Pottery collectors everywhere, this site features an extensive database on Watt creations includi… [read review or visit site]
The museum with the world's largest collection of Worcester porcelain is a good starting point for beginning collec… [read review or visit site]
Don't miss this collaborative reference guide to china and dinnerware used in public, commercial venues. The site c… [read review or visit site]
Steve Birks' super deep site is a tribute to a bygone era, chronicling how a pottery center of excellence (they did… [read review or visit site]
This gallery showcases 2,130 of the 5,000 items in the museum's ceramics collection dating from 1500-1900. Include… [read review or visit site]
A great reference on ceramics from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Learn about different ceramics techniques and st… [read review or visit site]
This website boasts hundreds of beautiful ceramics items with detailed descriptions. Start browsing here, and keep … [read review or visit site]
This microsite from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts features objects from the Institute’s permanent collection,… [read review or visit site]
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