Episode Details

How did Europe become obsessed with porcelain?  And who would win the race to discover the secret formula for this “white gold?”  In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel from Marco Polo’s China to the courts and palaces of Europe, where this mysterious material bewitched all those that encountered it.    

Artworks featured in this episode:

King Louis XIV

King William III & Queen Mary II

A late 17th-century engraving of a porcelain room in the style popularised by Mary II

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Porcelain Room, Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin, Germany

Marco Polo

Unglazed Ewer (Earthenware) 9th–10th century

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Francesco de' Medici, 1541—87

Bowl with Variation of 'Baba Nakkas' Design, Circa 1500—25

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Iznik Mosque Lamp (Turkey) 1585—95

Courtesy of The Cleveland Museum of Art

Potpourri jar (France)Circa 1690—95

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Terracotta Jug, Circa 1400–1190 BC

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Maiolica Plate (Italy), Circa 1500

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Handled Vase (Spain), 17th Century

Rouen Faience Jug (France), Circa 1720 - Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Pilgrim Flask (Italy), Circa 1580, Medici Porcelain Manufactory

King Augustus II the Strong, 1670–1733

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene

Additional Research: Catherine Ingram

Editor: Alessandro Ruocco

Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: White Gold - The Race for Porcelain
• 00:01:00 Porcelain Fever: Europe's Obsession with China
• 00:04:12 The Magical Properties of Porcelain
• 00:06:20 Status Symbol of Monarchs: Porcelain Rooms and Collections
• 00:08:34 The Portuguese Trade Route and China's Monopoly
• 00:09:57 Marco Polo and the Mystery of Porcelain
• 00:15:02 What Porcelain Actually Is: The Science Revealed
• 00:19:04 Early European Attempts: Medici Porcelain and Soft Paste
• 00:21:36 The Failed Experiments: Grinding Shells and Burying Clay
• 00:25:58 Tin Glaze Traditions: Maiolica, Faience, and Delftware
• 00:30:02 The Race Intensifies: Setting Up for Discovery