Bone China was developed by Josiah
Spode in 1800 in England, as an inexpensive version of real porcelain.
This however, did not happen; bone china was seen as superior to
porcelain because of its lighter weight, reception of bright colors and
because of it pure white color. Most of the bone china was marked when
it was made, so it is very easy to identify. Some of the most notable
manufacturers of bone china are: Spode, Minton, Davenport, Coalport,
and Worcester. Other manufacturer's emerged a little later such as
Wedgwood in 1812, and Rockingham in 1820.
Spode
Josiah Spode started a small pottery shop in 1770. He refined the
process of blue under glaze printing on earthenware. This achievement
earned him a great reputation, but his development of bone china was
what earned Josiah Spode a place in history. The Spode pottery company
still produces from its original site. The company has a well
documented history and has on record all of the variations of its
stamps from its beginning, so you should be able to date any piece
relatively accurately.
Minton
Minton ware was produced in a factory in Stoke-upon-Trent,
Staffordshire, England. Thomas Minton started the factory in 1793. The
factory at first manufactured Parian porcelain, cream-colored and
blueprinted earthenware, and Majolica. Thomas Minton became famous for
the willow pattern. An example of which is shown at left (this is not a
willow pattern done by Minton, but the pattern is basically the same no
matter who's you look at). Minton did not start production of bone
china until 1820.
Davenport
In 1793, John Davenport from Longport, Staffordshire, England began
producing pottery and dinnerware. He began producing bone china in
1800. The company was sold in 1887 to Thomas Hughes.
Coalport
Founded by John Rose in Shropshire, England in 1795. Coalport
specialized in glazed bone china, which was in extremely high demand.
Because its factory was in Coalbrookdale the company was sometimes
called Coalbrookdale Porcelain.
Worcester
Dr. John Wall was the head of a group of small businessmen who
started a porcelain manufactory in 1751. Dr. John Wall's vision was to
create wares of a form so precise as to be easily distinguishable. The
factory made transfer print porcelain in large number by the 1760's and
many of these are sought out by collectors. In 1789 King George III
gave the company the Royal Warrant. Which meant that the company would
produce the Royals dinnerware. At this time Royal was added to the
name, and the company is known to this day as Royal Worcester.
Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood who founded the company in 1759 was considered ìthe
Father of English Potters. Josiah Wedgwood perfected a number of
pottery techniques that earned him this name and the company great
respectability. The company is very well known for its bone china and
has been for some time. Theodore Roosevelt had Wedgwood make a set of
bone china with the presidential seal on it for use in the White House.
Rockingham
Started in 1745 by Joseph Flint the pottery went through financial
hard times until it closed in 1842, but not before creating some
magnificent pottery. Because the pottery was produced for such a
relatively short time, pieces are rare and hunted by collectors.
