How is porcelain made?
Overview of Meissen porcelain.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Porcelain is often referred to as white gold and the nickname is well deserved.
HANNES WALTER: "Back when porcelain was first produced, individual pieces were worth nearly as much as gold."
NARRATOR: Part of the reason for this is that, for years, there was only one porcelain manufacturer in all of Europe - namely Meissen. For decades, the secrets of porcelain manufacture were kept under lock and key. Today, we know that the three primary raw materials are clay, in the form of kaolin, minerals and quartz. Porcelain is still made according to the same procedures used hundreds of years ago. For figurines, the individual elements are formed first and then joined together by hand, one at a time. When the formation process has been completed, all representatives of a given work look virtually identical. Yet each and every one is a hand-made original. Next, the raw porcelain is fired in the oven at approximately 950 degrees for up to 20 hours. Some pieces then proceed to be underglazed. Applying a pattern requires the utmost precision as the porcelain is still pliable and absorbent. The painter only has one chance to get it right.
UWE MENZEL: "You can get rid of really small mistakes with the erasing knife. But if I see that an entire section is out of proportion or crooked, there's nothing I can do about it. A mistake like that makes the piece completely worthless."
NARRATOR: Once deemed flawless, the pieces are dipped in a glaze, although spray glaze is used in some cases. Figurines and china with flower motifs are often painted in rainbow colors.
BRIGITTE GREISS: "I've got my model right here. What I'm trying to do is paint an exact replica of it. You can see for yourself how it's turned out so far. And after it's all done and been burnt, it should look exactly like the model. They'll be perfect matches and interchangeable dishes in the pattern."
NARRATOR: True works of art are painted onto porcelain. But they have to be fired one last time before making their way to the cupboard or the display cabinet. It's during this final step that these decorative pieces take on their glassy, snow-white appearance and hardness. Indeed, this is what truly transforms ordinary porcelain into white gold.
HANNES WALTER: "Back when porcelain was first produced, individual pieces were worth nearly as much as gold."
NARRATOR: Part of the reason for this is that, for years, there was only one porcelain manufacturer in all of Europe - namely Meissen. For decades, the secrets of porcelain manufacture were kept under lock and key. Today, we know that the three primary raw materials are clay, in the form of kaolin, minerals and quartz. Porcelain is still made according to the same procedures used hundreds of years ago. For figurines, the individual elements are formed first and then joined together by hand, one at a time. When the formation process has been completed, all representatives of a given work look virtually identical. Yet each and every one is a hand-made original. Next, the raw porcelain is fired in the oven at approximately 950 degrees for up to 20 hours. Some pieces then proceed to be underglazed. Applying a pattern requires the utmost precision as the porcelain is still pliable and absorbent. The painter only has one chance to get it right.
UWE MENZEL: "You can get rid of really small mistakes with the erasing knife. But if I see that an entire section is out of proportion or crooked, there's nothing I can do about it. A mistake like that makes the piece completely worthless."
NARRATOR: Once deemed flawless, the pieces are dipped in a glaze, although spray glaze is used in some cases. Figurines and china with flower motifs are often painted in rainbow colors.
BRIGITTE GREISS: "I've got my model right here. What I'm trying to do is paint an exact replica of it. You can see for yourself how it's turned out so far. And after it's all done and been burnt, it should look exactly like the model. They'll be perfect matches and interchangeable dishes in the pattern."
NARRATOR: True works of art are painted onto porcelain. But they have to be fired one last time before making their way to the cupboard or the display cabinet. It's during this final step that these decorative pieces take on their glassy, snow-white appearance and hardness. Indeed, this is what truly transforms ordinary porcelain into white gold.