Bone china is a type of soft-paste porcelain that is composed of bone ash, feldspathic
material, and kaolin. It has been defined as ware with a translucent body containing
a minimum of 30% of phosphate derived from animal bone and calculated calcium phosphate.
Developed by English potter Josiah Spode, bone china is known for its high levels of
whiteness and translucency, and very high mechanical strength and chip resistance. Its
high strength allows it to be produced in thinner cross-sections than other types of
porcelain. From its initial development and up to the
later part of the twentieth century, bone china was almost exclusively an English product,
with production being effectively localised in Stoke-on-Trent. Most major English firms
made it, including Mintons, Coalport, Davenport, Royal Crown Derby, Royal Doulton, Wedgwood
and Worcester. In the UK, references to "china" or "porcelain"
can refer to bone china, and "English porcelain" has been used as a term for it, both in the
UK and around the world.
History The first development of what would become
known as bone china was made by Thomas Frye at his Bow porcelain factory near Bow in East
London in 1748. His factory was located very close to the cattle markets and slaughterhouses
of Essex, and hence easy access to animal bones. Frye used up to 45% bone ash in his
formulation to create what he called ‘fine porcelain.’ Although in quality it rivalled
porcelain imported from Europe and China the factory was not a commercial success.
Later, Josiah Spode in Stoke-on-Trent further developed the concept between 1789 and 1793,
introducing his "Stoke China" in 1796, the year before his sudden death; his son Josian
II quickly rechristened the ware "Bone china". Among his developments was to abandon Frye’s
procedure of calcining the bone together with some of the other body raw materials, instead
calcining just the bone. Bone china quickly proved to be highly popular, leading to its
production by other English pottery manufacturers. Both Spode's formulation and his business
were successful: his formulation of 6 parts bone ash, 4 parts china stone and 3.5 parts
china clay. pr kaolin, remains the basis for all bone china, and it was only in 2009 that
his company, Spode, went into receivership before eventually being purchased by Portmeirion.
Lenox are the only major manufacturer of bone china in the United States, and have supplied
presidential services to the White House. Production
The production of bone china is similar to porcelain, except more care is needed because
of its lower plasticity and a narrower vitrification range. The traditional formulation for bone
china is about 25% kaolin, 25% Cornish stone and 50% bone ash. The bone ash that is used
in bone china is made from cattle bones that have a lower iron content. These bones are
crushed before being degelatinised and then calcined at up to 1250 °C to produce bone
ash. The ash is milled to a fine particle size. The kaolin component of the body is
needed to give the unfired body plasticity which allows articles to be shaped. This mixture
is then fired at around 1200 °C. The raw materials for bone china are comparatively
expensive, and the production is labour-intensive, which is why bone china maintains a luxury
status and high pricing. Bone china consists of two crystalline phases,
anorthite and ß-tricalcium phosphate embedded in a substantial amount of glass.
Boycotting by vegetarians Due to the use of animal bones in the production
of some bone china some vegetarians and vegans will avoid using or purchasing bone china.
See also Porcelain
Hard-paste porcelain References