I have a passion for Chinese translucent porcelain and this essay must be very personal, my own reaction to a new Australian porcelain. Reading the book The Genius of China1 one is astonished by the sophistication of ancient Chinese civilisation, in many cases inventing or discovering scientific and technological data millennia before Europe. In the case of porcelain, Chinese ceramics authorities differ as to the definition of porcelain - some wishing to date it from the white proto-porcelain wares of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties (about 11th century BC) and some from the development of hard, white, translucent wares of the Tang Dynasty (7th century AD). Porcelain did not come easily. Many cultures, many experiments, refinement of the proto-porcelain body, the discovery of pe tun tze ( a naturally occurring feldspathic material) and kaolin, the gradual improvement of kiln technology and firing techniques which made possible the high temperatures necessary for fine translucent wares. The great advances were much admired and much encouraged by the emperors. Zuo Qiming’s Chronicles: ‘Yu Efu was a potter in the early Zhou Dynasty. King Wu relied on him to make good pottery vessels ... After Yu became a wondrous craftsman, the king took him as son-in-law and enfiefed him with the State of Chen’2 - eat your heart out, you humble potters!

In many people’s opinion the aesthetics of the Tang and Song Dynasty have never been bettered but there were further technical advances to come. Improvement in quality was assisted by the specialisation of the various phases of production - clay preparation, making, glazing and kiln management. In the Ming Dynasty (from 1368 AD) it is said that in Jingdezhen the town had 300 government and private kilns! ‘White smoke covered the town by day and flames rose into the air at night’2. Some of the kilns held up to 10,000 pieces.

In the Ming and Ching era ceramic production reached its zenith. Consistent production of fine, white, translucent porcelain, ringing like a bell, with the ever-increasing skill and complexity of polychrome painting and the introduction or perfection of new monochrome colours - the famous sang de bouef of the Kangxi reign and the superb Yongle wares. A poet of the Yueh Dynasty, Xu Yin, wrote:‘... cups intriguingly fashioned like the full moon softened by spring water, light as thin ice ... like dewey budding lotus blooms bidding the lake farewell ...’

At this time Chinese porcelain was being widely exported. Some of these pieces filtered through to the kings and potentates of Europe (as well as the occasional piece via the Silk Road). In 1520 the Portuguese returned from China with a boatload of porcelain and an example of the material used to make it.
In the European race to duplicate the production of this marvellous ware, all the ceramic factories and alchemists took part. This was achieved by the late 18th century, in what has been called the First Wave of Oriental influence in Europe. The Second Wave came with 20th century study and learning from mainly Japanese studio practice, where one artisan is responsible for the whole process of production. This was dramatically illustrated in the recent exhibition at the Fo Guan Yuan Gallery in Melbourne - 40 Australian potters indebted to Oriental influence.

In Australia we have been fortunate in that clay body production has largely been done for us by specialist suppliers (unless we masochistically chose to dig our own). The availability of first class prepared clay bodies, I think, has contributed significantly to the excellence of Australian pottery on the world scene. This is especially so with the availability of fine porcelain which is quite a recent event. My first contact with porcelain was with the Kent Collection at the NGV with which I was enchanted. Shortly after I was given a small 12th century Song incense burner - not a very handsome form (but just affordable) and the glaze is extraordinary, so silky smooth and totally seductive.

I was inspired to begin my own experiments with locally available porcelain bodies. In about 1970 there was not a real local porcelain available so I tried the David Leach body from England along with Johnston Bros JB1 and Morlynn. By this time I had been to Foshan and seen their ‘egg shell’. (Incidentally the very fine work was made on a horizontal lathe and they refused to discuss the material but eventually showed me some gritty powder which they said they used - well maybe.)

The Japanese porcelain imported and used by Alistair Whyte in the ‘80s was very fine but had to be imported by the tonne and was prohibitively expensive for most potters. Limoges porcelain seemed the best option. This has been imported by Walker Ceramics for a number of years and has very real advantages. It is white, translucent and rings like a bell.

I found it troublesome to glaze. I am sure the fault was mine, other people managed very well. I am a translucence junkie. There is for me a charm about making light form a pattern in the pot, a never ending challenge.

About a year ago I made the long trek to Walkers to buy some Limoges, they were out of stock and rail freight is fraught with risk. David said “Try this while you wait” and gave me a lump of the new clay body he was working on.

It was very easily thrown and dried without problems. It had to be turned with care at just the right time, but was much less prone to ‘dragging’ than Limoges, and it stood up to carving - once again at the right degree of drying. There were no bisque disasters and it responded well to dipping in the glaze.

I fired the new clay body to Cone 9 in reduction and whenI unloaded the kiln I couldn’t believe my eyes, I had to sit down while I examined the little white, translucent treasures with their beautifully defined patterns. When I first heard that Walkers’ new body was to be called Imperial Porcelain I thought - now that is setting yourself a challenge - but Xu Min would be proud, and so should you be Mr Walker! It is a beautiful body and a delight to use. Not many things get me out of bed at 3am but I did today, hoping the kiln would be cool enough to open. Cooked to perfection. I just had to see what was in it - not a warp, not a spot and amazing translucence.

I used Limoges for about 10 years and although I was careful with the setting, warping was a problem; it seemed that I had to keep the wares out of the force of the flame which did not always suit, as the older I get the smaller the work and the kilns get! I seriously considered making saggars, but life is short and with the new body I don’t need them

Technical tips

Firstly with the forming: Imperial is delivered a bit wet for my taste (but better that than too dry) a few minutes spiral kneading on a raw wood surface - just until the edge of the spiral starts to crack is all it takes. It is important to keep the thickness of the lower part of the pot and the foot ring of even thickness otherwise the foot ring tends to crack and often you can’t see it until the pot is glazed.

Throwing thin for translucence requires turning on a chuck; you cannot do it the old way of tapping it into the centre of the bat and holding it with a coil. In fact I throw on a bat and leave the pot there until almost leather hard. Then, with a mirror for reference, I cut the foot ring and remove as much as possible of the excess clay.

I leave the pot on the bat until I can lift it off without cutting and then invert it on to a chuck to finish off turning and smoothing and checking the inside. I don’t subscribe to the view that the inside should never be touched after throwing. If you can make it better, your clients deserve it, and if the inside is not smooth then you cannot get even translucence. Finally I cut the inside of the foot. Only then I carefully invert it onto a dry bat to finish drying - slowly.

First aid - if you need to finish turning and the clay is dragging, try running a wet paint brush over it or while the pot is turning on the chuck;it can be partially dried with a heat gun. Only experience will show you how far you can go with this technique. I have completely dried a pot this way - just to see - the pot survived, but it is not time effective. Again, if you have made a thin pot which starts to wobble, try the heat gun on the inside of the pot. A few revolutions will draw off sufficient water to stabilise it and you can correct the wobble.

Imperial can be turned successfully when quite dry - a very slow business, if it is more than final adjustment of profile etc. YOU MUST WORK WITH AN EXHAUST FAN AND WEAR A MASK WHEN TURNING DRY CLAY. You must also leave the area when you have finished for at least four hours to let the dust settle; it is the particles you cannot see that do you damage. Once again a wet paint brush helps a lot both with the turning and keeping the dust to a minimum.

Imperial is very strong when wet or ‘wet leather’ and very strong when dry, but goes through a very brittle stage when almost dry - so beware when you carve and beware if you pick up the pot by the foot ring, be gentle with it. Carving with a blade (surgical scalpels are good) is best done dry with the aid of a wet brush. Best done outside with the breeze blowing the dust away from you if you don’t have an exhaust fan and always with a mask. After carving, polish with a very fine, damp synthetic sponge. Fine Scotch Brite is also good to remove the bigger scars of carving - never use steel wool, as it leaves behind small particles, which will stain the work. Check the surface after bisque firing and if necessary, smooth with very fine wet and dry sandpaper.

The other method of decorating I use is to paint the design with shellac as a water resist and wash back the clay. A word of warning - if you use shellac then you must sand paper the shellaced surface after the bisque fire. Washing or dusting will not do! An invisible residue remains which will interfere with glaze adhesion.
A bit of magic: I recently poked a hole on a fluted bowl just as I was finishing it, about the size of a 5c piece (and about three hours work potentially down the drain). I stuck it back with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water and it worked! A totally invisible mend after firing to Cone 9 with a clear glaze.

Glazing Imperial is so easy. Every glaze in my repertoire fits perfectly. In fact I am presently doing triaxials to find an adjustment with a nice wide crackle.The Walker’s glaze EL250, designed for the Imperial, has a particularly unctuous surface. So often clear glazes can look a bit thin and poor. Glazing a pot which is thin enough to be really translucent and show up the pattern can only have a quick dip before the pot becomes sodden. Particularly on the carved bits the glaze runs off. Personally, I would do almost anything to avoid getting out the spray gun. Imperial can be dipped successfully. As for coloured glazes, the porcelain gives them a luminous quality which is very attractive even if they are no longer really translucent - especially copper reds.

As a last treat for me, the old workhorse iron blue glaze, which needs Cone 10 to mature or it looks and feels awful, on the super smooth Imperial at Cone 9 it has a real ‘mutton fat’ texture and a lovely blue/grey colour. This is the only pot I have ever made that comes close to my little Lung Chuan celadon in texture.
I have perhaps been a bit detailed with methods, but many potters, especially beginners, shy away from porcelain as being ‘difficult’ and I would hope that they might try Imperial before dismissing porcelain as a medium not for them.

1. The Genius of China, Robert Temple, Prion
2. Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, Li Zhiyan, Foreign Language Press, Beijing