292 15·No Ceramics Age? Faience,and Dutch earthenware,Delft,are likewise tin-glazed ce- ramic products whose names are derived from the Italian city of Faenza and the city of Delft in Holland.Faience is generally dis- tinguished by its elaborate decorations which flourished partic- ularly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Plate 15.9). (Some people apply the word Faience to a much broader range of ceramic products dating back to the Egyptians.)It should be noted that unglazed ceramic products are called bisqueware. Stoneware is fired at temperatures around 1200 to 1300C, which causes at least partial vitrification of certain clays stem- ming typically from sedimentary deposits that are low in iron content.Stoneware is hard and opaque and sometimes translu- cent.Its color varies from black via red,brown,and grey to white. Fine white stoneware was made in China as early as 1400 B.C. (Shang dynasty)and was glazed with feldspar.Korea and Japan followed at about 50 B.C.and the thirteenth century A.D.,respec- tively.The first European stoneware was produced in Germany after Johann Friedrich Bottger,an alchemist looking for gold (Chapter 17),together with E.W.von Tschirnhaus,rediscovered red stoneware in 1707(Plate 15.8).Josia Wedgwood,an Eng- lishman,followed somewhat later with black stoneware called basalte,and with white stoneware,colored by metal oxides,called jasper.Stoneware may remain unglazed or may receive lead or salt glazes.The latter one (first used in the Cologne region in Germany)involves NaCl which is tossed into the kiln when it has reached its highest temperature,allowing sodium and silica from the clay to form sodium silicate.This yields a pitted appearance like an orange peel.Alternatively,the objects are dipped into a salt solution before firing.Salt glazes give off poisonous chlorine gas during firing and are thus environmentally objectionable. Large-scale salt glazing was therefore discontinued some years ago. The climax of the art of pottery was reached when the Chinese invented porcelain,a white,thin,and translucent ceramic that possesses a metal-like ringing sound when tapped.It is believed that Marco Polo,when seeing it in China (about 1295),named it porcellana (shell)because of its translucency.In its initial form, porcelain was produced during the T'ang dynasty (A.D.618-907) but was steadily improved to the presently known configuration starting with the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1279-1368).Many western and Islamic countries tried in vain to duplicate (or vaguely imi- tate)this ultimate form of tableware until eventually,in 1707-1708,the above-mentioned J.F.Bottger succeeded,which laid the ground for the MeiRen porcelain manufacture in Saxony (Germany)in 1710.Faïence, and Dutch earthenware, Delft, are likewise tin-glazed ce￾ramic products whose names are derived from the Italian city of Faenza and the city of Delft in Holland. Faïence is generally dis￾tinguished by its elaborate decorations which flourished partic￾ularly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Plate 15.9). (Some people apply the word Faïence to a much broader range of ceramic products dating back to the Egyptians.) It should be noted that unglazed ceramic products are called bisqueware. Stoneware is fired at temperatures around 1200 to 1300°C, which causes at least partial vitrification of certain clays stem￾ming typically from sedimentary deposits that are low in iron content. Stoneware is hard and opaque and sometimes translu￾cent. Its color varies from black via red, brown, and grey to white. Fine white stoneware was made in China as early as 1400 B.C. (Shang dynasty) and was glazed with feldspar. Korea and Japan followed at about 50 B.C. and the thirteenth century A.D., respec￾tively. The first European stoneware was produced in Germany after Johann Friedrich Böttger, an alchemist looking for gold (Chapter 17), together with E.W. von Tschirnhaus, rediscovered red stoneware in 1707 (Plate 15.8). Josia Wedgwood, an Eng￾lishman, followed somewhat later with black stoneware called basalte, and with white stoneware, colored by metal oxides, called jasper. Stoneware may remain unglazed or may receive lead or salt glazes. The latter one (first used in the Cologne region in Germany) involves NaCl which is tossed into the kiln when it has reached its highest temperature, allowing sodium and silica from the clay to form sodium silicate. This yields a pitted appearance like an orange peel. Alternatively, the objects are dipped into a salt solution before firing. Salt glazes give off poisonous chlorine gas during firing and are thus environmentally objectionable. Large-scale salt glazing was therefore discontinued some years ago. The climax of the art of pottery was reached when the Chinese invented porcelain, a white, thin, and translucent ceramic that possesses a metal-like ringing sound when tapped. It is believed that Marco Polo, when seeing it in China (about 1295), named it porcellana (shell) because of its translucency. In its initial form, porcelain was produced during the T’ang dynasty (A.D. 618–907) but was steadily improved to the presently known configuration starting with the Yüan dynasty (A.D. 1279–1368). Many western and Islamic countries tried in vain to duplicate (or vaguely imi￾tate) this ultimate form of tableware until eventually, in 1707–1708, the above-mentioned J.F. Böttger succeeded, which laid the ground for the Meißen porcelain manufacture in Saxony (Germany) in 1710. 292 15 • No Ceramics Age?