Porcelain

From imperial kilns to modest parlours, porcelain has shaped how the world eats, decorates and dreams. Every shard holds a story. In this classic porcelain history book, Edward Dillon follows porcelain from its mysterious Eastern origins to its triumph in Western art and industry, revealing how fragile clay became a symbol of taste, luxury and cultural exchange. Moving between Chinese and Japanese porcelain, Chinese export porcelain and the rise of eighteenth century European porcelain, he shows how styles, techniques and desires crossed oceans and centuries. More than a dry ceramic art study, Porcelain reads as both decorative arts reference and vivid cultural portrait. Dillon leads readers through renowned European porcelain factories and lesser-known workshops, linking antique porcelain and pottery to the people who designed, fired and collected it. As a porcelain collectors guide, it sharpens the eye to form, glaze and decoration; as porcelain for art students and makers, it opens up process, experimentation and the language of style. For anyone drawn to antique china collecting and decorative ceramics for collectors, this enduring work offers insight, pleasure and a richer way of looking. First published in the early twentieth century, Porcelain has long been treasured by historians and connoisseurs of Chinese and Japanese porcelain alike. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions. Restored for today's and future generations. More than a reprint - a collector's item and a cultural treasure.