It's no secret that parents porcelain is China. And get this kind of pottery was back in 620, the method of manufacturing a thousand years was kept secret and only in 1708 the Saxon experimenters Tschirnhausen and Böttger succeeded in obtaining European porcelain. Attempts to discover the secret of oriental porcelain lasted for almost two centuries in Italy, France and England. However, as a result of receiving materials, vaguely reminiscent of porcelain and yet closer to the glass.
Medici porcelain
In 1575, at the behest of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco I de 'Medici arranged soft porcelain manufactory in Florence's famous Boboli Gardens. The so-called porcelain Medici, whose properties occupied a middle position between hard and soft porcelain was transparent through white clay. Remained about 50 authentic things - plates, dishes, trays, field and pilgrim flasks, vases, basins and jugs. They are decorated with a stylized flower or patterned Persian ceramics, or branches and borrowed from Italian ceramics grotesques with birds. Manufactory operated until the first quarter of the XVII century, inclusive. Mark on porcelain Medici - «F» and above the dome of Florence Cathedral - blue.
In the history of porcelain production of porcelain Medici only episode. It was followed by others - in England (and Dwight Francis Place, both in the second half of the XVII century.) And in France (Rouen and Saint-Cloud). Stimulate these incessant quest since the beginning of the XVII century - much stronger import Far Eastern porcelain. Up until the beginning of the XVIII century, all attempts to create original Chinese porcelain are unsuccessful.
In 1745 Porcelain Manufactory was founded in France, at Vincennes. Manufactory was called "Royal French porcelain manufactory." Vincennes and Sevres porcelain was then soft. The decor of the main attention was directed to paint the background.
The factory produces dining, coffee, tea and chocolate sets, tea and snuff boxes, cups, table decorations and baskets of fruit, jewelry boxes and jars, sewing, washing set, inkwells, watch case, vases and candlesticks.
Effect of wonderful colorful backgrounds china enhanced by gilding and colorful murals.
Until about 1770 painting porcelain in France designed in the spirit of pure rococo, then gradually begins to show new style - classicism (otherwise known as "Louis XVI»), who, during the reign of Louis XVI subdued all branches of artistic production, spreading further across Europe .
Porcelain in the Russian Empire
The literature highlights the different question of the origin of porcelain production in Russia.
Attempts to organize the production of porcelain or earthenware began in Russia under Peter I - great connoisseurs. In 1724 the Russian merchant Grebenshikov founded in Moscow at their own expense earthenware factory; on it is conducted experiments on porcelain, but they are not well developed.
His first factory was founded only in 1744 by Empress Elizabeth. After all these earlier failures, there was one way, the most difficult and long, but the only reliable - to organize a systematic search of scientific and technological activities, which as a result would lead to the development of technology for the production of porcelain. To do this, needed someone who had a significant training with sufficient technical initiative and ingenuity. Such is turned Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov, a native of the city of Suzdal.
In 1736, DI Vinogradov with his companions, MV Lomonosov and R. Reiser, on presentation of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and by imperial decree was sent "in German lands to explore among other arts and sciences and principal Especially chemistry and metallurgy for these things that concerns before mining or manuscript art. "Vinogradov trained primarily in Saxony, where there were then "glorious throughout the German state of handwritten and smelters' and where they worked while skillfully teacher and master of this case. He remained abroad until 1744 and returned to Russia with certificates and certificates to award him the title of "bergmeystera."
With the royal manufactory competed quality goods private porcelain factories Englishman Francis Gardner, founded in 1754 in Verbilki near Moscow. In 1780 he was transferred to Tver, and in 1891 he moved into the possession of M. Kuznetsova. The plant has a very extensive production, including the construction and for the court. Produces tableware painted mostly gray-green and light green tone in various combinations with red or pale yellow.
