Hard-paste porcelain

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Hard-paste porcelain is a hard, dense ceramic that was originally made from a compound of the feldspathic rock petuntse and kaolin fired at very high temperature. It was first made in China around the 9th century.

The secret of its manufacture was not known in Europe until 1709, when Böttger of Meissen, Germany discovered the formula. Despite attempts to keep it secret, the process spread to other German ceramic factories and eventually became known throughout Europe.

Hard-paste porcelain can be fired at a range of temperatures to create many different end results. Depending on the firing method, hard-paste porcelain can resemble stoneware or earthenware. But most of the time, it is not necessary to use hard-paste porcelain for these lower temperature ceramics. Hard-paste porcelain can be utilized to make porcelain bisque, a hard crystalline material fired at very high temperatures in a pressure controlled environment. This method gives birth to a translucent bright white ceramic. Unlike other bisque ceramics, porcelain bisque is almost impermeable by water, making it unnecessary to glaze the body before painting. Manufactures such as Lladro, Hummel, and Precious Moments use hard-paste porcelain exactly for this reason.