A Proper English Tea: Porcelain Quiz

Answer: Chelsea

Translucence, pure white color, and a clear ring when tapped were the attributes of porcelain most craved. Nicholas Sprimont, director of the Chelsea factory, had learned valuable lessons while training in France. His formula included pulverized glass and had a resonant ring. Because the glassy formula tended to melt unevenly, Chelsea porcelain shows less dense spots called moons when held up to a light.

Answer: William Duesbury

William Duesbury is probably best known for the achievements of the Derby factory, but he had a long, diverse, and always productive career.

Answer: Benjamin Lund

Although almost unknown for two centuries, excavations in the late 20th century show that Lund was a busy and determined man, who developed the basis of a superb porcelain formula but was never able to put it into production. At that time, William Davis and Dr. John Wall were working on a new formula at Worcester and found the result unacceptable.

They had the backing of a corporation of well-to-do associates but no porcelain recipe; Benjamin Lund had a good recipe but no backing to develop it. The Worcester group bought the patent rights to Lund's invention and paid him while he advised on construction of the new Worcester factory. Today Lund is considered an ancestor of the Worcester factory.

Answer: William Cookworthy

At one stage of his research, he used imported material from America. If that ingredient had been essential, his porcelain might have been simply too expensive to manufacture.

Answer: William Billingsley

Although it was fairly common for porcelain workers to work at more than one factory (they went where their skills were most wanted at the time), Billingsley was driven by a passion to create a new porcelain of superb quality. He adapted some of the techniques of oil painting to create his famous flower decorations, and his innovations became standard practice for fine flower painting.

His lifelong search for the perfect porcelain sounds like the theme of a romantic novel. Although he had a reputation of being unreliable, his talent made it easy to get good jobs, and he learned and experimented everywhere he went. Like a fictional hero, he was always short of money, one step ahead of his creditors, and in need of a rich patron. He never found one. His family seemed to believe in him. Although his wife finally left him, his grown daughters and son kept in close touch with him for the rest of his life. He died in Worcester, where he was working under an alias to deceive his creditors.

The result of his quest has been called "probably the most beautiful porcelain body ever produced" by British ceramics expert Henry Sandon. It was brilliant white, almost transparent when held against a bright light, and a wonderful ground for the enamel decoration that Billingsley excelled in. Unfortunately, more than 90% of the pieces melted during firing, and he could never finish enough to sell at a profit. He died penniless but immortalized in porcelain history.

Answer: Josiah Spode

Proportions of bone in bone china range from 40% to over 70%. Virtually all porcelain manufactured in England today is some type of bone china.

Answer: Josiah Wedgwood

Wedgwood is synonymous with white classical figures on a blue stoneware ground for many people, but he was responsible for a number of other interesting developments as well.

Answer: Robert Hancock

Hancock was a founding member of the Worcester company and was renowned for his excellent engraving of plates for transfer. He is never mentioned as having painted.

Answer: Worcester

Dr. John Wall retired in 1775 and died about a year later. The firm continued under the leadership of William Davis, who had probably been in charge of operations for quite some time. Davis died in 1783 and was succeeded by Thomas Flight. Worcester has undergone many name changes in its history, but it is today merged with Spode as Royal Worcester.

Answer: Lowestoft

This piece of misinformation was repeated well into the 20th century. The actual site of the Lowestoft factory was uncertain, yet popular belief among collectors never questioned whether it was equipped to create the tons of porcelain imported by nations worldwide. Later, the story claimed that the porcelain was brought in from China and only decorated in Lowestoft, still a herculean task for a small resort town. Excavations and document searches in mid-20th century finally established that a factory had existed in Lowestoft, but had produced a decidedly occidental soft paste.

The designated porcelain was then called Oriental Lowestoft, then Oriental Export. It is known as Chinese Export today.