Porcelain Stone

What it is

Porcelain stone is a naturally kaolinised, feldspathic rock that can be crushed, washed and refined into a porcelain-making material. It is one of the fundamental raw materials of Jingdezhen.

Why it matters

Early Jingdezhen porcelain could be made predominantly from suitable porcelain stone. Over time, potters increasingly combined porcelain stone with separate kaolin-rich materials to adjust refractoriness, strength, whiteness and firing behaviour.

A changing recipe

There was never one timeless Jingdezhen body formula. Scientific analysis shows major changes in the balance between porcelain stone and kaolin across the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing periods. Understanding the raw body is therefore part of understanding why porcelain from different periods can feel, fire and transmit light differently.