Why did the British and Dutch mass produce culinary ceramics for export during the industrial revolution, and why did their ceramics traditions—most famously Delftware and Staffordshire Ware—resemble the blue and white “fine China” they imported from Hong Kong during the Age of Discovery and Enlightenment? This talk traces the story of porcelain from its origins as a closely guarded industry secret in Jingdezhen (China) to one of the most profitablcommodities produced and exported across the Dutch and British Empires.
