Page 160 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

quality of many of these imitations reinforced Britain’s taste for Chinese porcelain,

strengthening the desire to own porcelain that originated in China rather than Britain.

Along with an imitation market, many British potters chose to create wares simply

inspired by Chinese styles rather than attempt to create actual hard paste porcelain. By

1770, Josiah Wedgwood (1730–1795) developed Jasper, a fine-grained matte

stoneware. 200 Jasperware did not attempt to compete directly with porcelain, because it

was an entirely different material. It was able to create a similar blue-and-white

aesthetic, allowing it to capitalize on the fashionable aesthetics of the era. Known

commercially as Wedgwood, this popular alternative to porcelain gained recognition

within Britain, perhaps owing its success to the desire for Chinese blue-and-white

porcelain.

From 1715 to 1765, British potters, especially those in the region of North

Staffordshire, developed styles of ceramics that were directly inspired by Chinese

porcelain. These inspired wares were reliant on highly colored ceramics. The production

levels achieved by Stoke-on-Trent put this area on the global porcelain market, emerging

as a porcelain city of the West. 201 While porcelain was attainable to the elite of Britain, it

was still too expensive a ware to be purchased by common people. However, as

economic shifts occurred within Britain, a rising middle class created even more demand

for Chinese porcelain. Improvements within Britain shaped the way food was consumed,

resulting in fashionable table manners, extended dinner services, and less reliance on

200 William Bowyer Honey, The Ceramic Art of China and Other Countries of the Far East (New
York: The Beechhurst Press, 1954), 11.
201 Claire Blakey, “Bringing China to Stoke-on-Trent,” Orientations 48, no. 4 (2017). The rise of
Stoke-on-Trent made it comparable to Jingdezhen. An exhibition in 2011, “Ceramic Cities,”
explored the connections between these two porcelain centers.

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