Tea cups in Europe

When tea was first introduced to Europe, tea pots and tea cups were also introduced along tea. People in Europe were highly impressed with those products for their durability and practicability, and deeply attracted by their beauty. Some people in Europe were profoundly inspired by those products, and started to make their own tea cups and pots. That movement started in Germany (Meissen). 1. Why the first porcelain in Europe was produced in Meissen? When Germany was still called Sachsen, AugustⅡthe Strong, Elector of Saxony was facing the financial crisis. One day, he came up with the idea of making porcelain products and sell. Porcelain products were equally expensive as silver at the time, but no one in Europe knew how to make them. August captured Johann Friedrich Boettger, who was a chemist and also an alchemist (see picture 1), and confined him in the castle. Johan was confined in the castle many years, dedicated his efforts to make the first porcelain product in Europe. After the many years of the efforts, he finally succeeded to make the porcelain products in Europe in 1707. 2. Secret production method travels in Europe Since the porcelain products were equally precious as other treasures at the time, the method of making porcelain was carefully kept in top secret in Meissen. However, as some artisans are escaped or kidnapped from Meissen, and this secret also traveled to different part of Europe. Here are the names of the city where this secret was traveled to in chronological order. 1718 Vienna (Austria) 1720 Venezia (Italy) 1751 Strasbourg (France) 1753 Berlin (Germany) 1761 Sables (France) 3. Bone china The production method of porcelain products was introduced to England in 1768. However, the first production in England was quite late for the famous tea consumption country. It is because one of the important raw materials to make porcelain products, Kaolin, was not sufficient. Thomas Fray discovered the way to make their Kaolin sufficient by adding the powdered cattle bones, and made the porcelain products (1774). That was called the Bone china. By improving this Bone china, new porcelain products, Jasperware was developed by Josiah Wedgwood, and later, he was called as the father of porcelain products in England. 4.　Porcelain brands in Europe Germany / Meissen, SP Dresde France / Sables Aviland England / Crown Derby, Wedgwood, Minton Austria / Augarten Hungary / Herend Italy/ Richard-Ginori Denmark / Royal Copenhagen Sweden / Rorstrand Finland / Arabia Holland / Royal Delft U.S.A/ Lenox Upper/ When Johann Friedrich Boettger (1682-1719) made porcelain products, he was 25 years old. He later suffered from alcoholism because of the stress of the confinement, and he died only when he was 37 years old. Lower/ Tea pot of Wedgwood. Wedgwood named it Jasperware.

(Takahiro Moritake)