Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1893 — Pottery and Porcelain. [ARTICLE]

Pottery and Porcelain.

There is a vast difference between pottery and porcelain; pottery being opaque and porcelain translucent. “Faience” is the term applied to all glazed pottery, and “biscuit” to all unglazed pottery or porcelain. Technical terms are troublesome, and therefore will be omitted when possible. InChiua, porcelain was manufactured before the Christian era; but tbe art did not reach Europe until the sixteenth century. Pottery had been manufactured at least two centuries before; but, although constantly searching, chemists were not able to find the necessary materials for the manufacture of porcelain. The art of glazing with salt was discovered at Burslem, England, in 1680, in a rather curious way. A servant while boiling salt for brine, in an earthen vessel, allowed the water to boil away; the pan became red hot, and wheu it was noticed was covered with a beautiful glaze. News of this discovery spread rapidly; and the potters taking advantage of the hint, salt glaze became common. There are two kinds of porcelain, hard and soft; and there are several methods by which these may be distinguished. Tnc soft paste can be scratched with a sharp knife on any part not covered with the glaze. It also has a somewhat soapy, warm feeling to the touch, and the fracture has the appearance of cream. Hard, or, as it is sometimes called, “true,” porcelain is heavier than the soft, is a purer white, and is cold to the touch. When broken, the fracture looks like alabaster; and, as a rule, the rim underneath the plates and other pieces escapes the glaze.—[Demorest’s Magazine.