Porcelain Chess Sets
The invention of porcelain can be traced back to China in the sixth and seventh centuries. There, the first porcelain was developed from stoneware with the help of kaolin-containing earths. For centuries, craftsmen in imperial manufactories devised new shapes, bright porcelain colours and glazes, and in this way created a sought-after object of use and art. Maro Polo (1254-1324) was the first to bring news of this fantastic material, which he called porcelain after the lustre of the « porcella shell », to Europe.
As early as the 13th century, porcelain was a hightly coveted items at the royal courts of Europe and was imported from Asia – in particular China – at extravagent prices. Attempts were made starting from the early 18th century to reproduce the « White Gold » in Europe, with alchemist Johan Friedrich Böttger finding success in Meissen in 1708 under commisionns from Saxony’s royal court.