Editing Porcelain (section)

==== Meissen ====
[[File:Teller Schwanenservice.jpg|thumb|left|[[Meissen porcelain|Meissen]] plate from the famous [[Swan Service]] made for Count [[Heinrich von Brühl|Brühl]], minister to king [[Augustus III of Poland]], 1737-1742]]
Von Tschirnhaus along with [[Johann Friedrich Böttger]] were employed by [[Augustus II the Strong|Augustus II]], [[King of Poland]] and [[Elector of Saxony]], who sponsored their work in [[Dresden]] and in the town of [[Meissen]]. Tschirnhaus had a wide knowledge of science and had been involved in the European quest to perfect porcelain manufacture when, in 1705, Böttger was appointed to assist him in this task. Böttger had originally been trained as a pharmacist; after he turned to alchemical research, he claimed to have known the secret of transmuting dross into gold, which attracted the attention of Augustus. Imprisoned by Augustus as an incentive to hasten his research, Böttger was obliged to work with other alchemists in the futile search for transmutation and was eventually assigned to assist Tschirnhaus.<ref name=burns>{{cite book|last=Burns|first=William E.|title=Science in the enlightenment: An encyclopedia|year=2003|publisher=ABC-Clio|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=978-1-57607-886-0|pages=38–39|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4H9_Zvp80nAC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120134818/https://books.google.com/books?id=4H9_Zvp80nAC|archive-date=2015-11-20}}</ref> One of the first results of the collaboration between the two was the development of a red stoneware that resembled that of [[Yixing clay|Yixing]].

A workshop note records that the first specimen of hard, white and vitrified European porcelain was produced in 1708. At the time, the research was still being supervised by Tschirnhaus; however, he died in October of that year. It was left to Böttger to report to Augustus in March 1709 that he could make porcelain. For this reason, credit for the European discovery of porcelain is traditionally ascribed to him rather than Tschirnhaus.<ref>Gleeson, Janet. ''The Arcanum'', a short history on the greed, obsession, murder and betrayal that led to the creation of Meissen porcelain. Bantam Books, London, 1998.</ref>

The [[Meissen porcelain|Meissen factory]] was established in 1710 after the development of a kiln and a glaze suitable for use with Böttger's porcelain, which required firing at temperatures of up to {{convert|1400|°C|°F|0}} to achieve translucence. Meissen porcelain was ''once-fired'', or ''green-fired''. It was noted for its great resistance to [[thermal shock]]; a visitor to the factory in Böttger's time reported having seen a white-hot teapot being removed from the kiln and dropped into cold water without damage. Although widely disbelieved this has been replicated in modern times.<ref>BBC4 How it works: Ep 3. Ceramics how they work 16 Apr 2012</ref>