The fact that light could be transmitted through porcelain made it magical to Europeans. John Dwight and subsequent British potters fi gured but how to refi ne local clays to make them white rather than brown. But because of the lower firing temperature and the lack of key clays such as kaolin, translucency was not achieved until the nineteenth century.

Small Plate, ca. 1770
Staffordshire, England
Earthenware (china glaze) with enamel decoration
Chipstone Foundation 2001.26

Small Plate, ca. 1770
China, made for export
Porcelain with enamel decoration
Chipstone Foundation 1953.10.2