White Gold - The Race for Porcelain (Part 1)
April 29, 2026
41 min
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Episode 5 · April 29, 2026
White Gold - The Race for Porcelain (Part 1)
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41:03This episodeWhite Gold - The Race for Porcelain (Part 1)
Summary
How did Europe become obsessed with porcelain? And who would win the race to discover the secret formula for this “white gold?” In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel from Marco Polo’s China to the courts and palaces of Europe, where this mysterious material bewitched all those that encountered it.
Artworks featured in this episode:
King Louis XIV
King William III & Queen Mary II
A late 17th-century engraving of a porcelain room in the style popularised by Mary II
Courtesy of The Met Collection
Porcelain Room, Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin, Germany
Marco Polo
Unglazed Ewer (Earthenware) 9th–10th century
Courtesy of The Met Collection
Francesco de' Medici, 1541—87
Bowl with Variation of 'Baba Nakkas' Design, Circa 1500—25
Courtesy of The Met Collection
Iznik Mosque Lamp (Turkey) 1585—95
Courtesy of The Cleveland Museum of Art
Potpourri jar (France)Circa 1690—95
Courtesy of The Met Collection
Terracotta Jug, Circa 1400–1190 BC
Courtesy of The Met Collection
Maiolica Plate (Italy), Circa 1500
Courtesy of The Met Collection
Handled Vase (Spain), 17th Century
Rouen Faience Jug (France), Circa 1720 - Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Pilgrim Flask (Italy), Circa 1580, Medici Porcelain Manufactory
King Augustus II the Strong, 1670–1733
To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Editor: Alessandro Ruocco
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction: White Gold - The Race for Porcelain
00:01:00 Porcelain Fever: Europe's Obsession with China
00:04:12 The Magical Properties of Porcelain
00:06:20 Status Symbol of Monarchs: Porcelain Rooms and Collections
00:08:34 The Portuguese Trade Route and China's Monopoly
00:09:57 Marco Polo and the Mystery of Porcelain
00:15:02 What Porcelain Actually Is: The Science Revealed
00:19:04 Early European Attempts: Medici Porcelain and Soft Paste
00:21:36 The Failed Experiments: Grinding Shells and Burying Clay
00:25:58 Tin Glaze Traditions: Maiolica, Faience, and Delftware
00:30:02 The Race Intensifies: Setting Up for Discovery