Stuff You Should Know: Short Stuff – All About Porcelain

Hosts: Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant
Date: December 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This Short Stuff episode dives into the surprisingly fascinating history and science of porcelain. Josh and Chuck break down what makes porcelain unique, how it's made, its origins and journey from ancient China to Europe, and why it remains valuable and sought after today. As always, the hosts blend humor, curiosity, and clarity to turn a subject you may never have considered into something you'll be eager to talk about at your next dinner party.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Is Porcelain?

• Porcelain as a Ceramic

  • Porcelain is a specific type of ceramic, differentiated by its material density and higher firing temperatures, which make it uniquely durable and non-porous.
    • Chuck Bryant: "Porcelain clay has a much higher density and it's fired longer and at higher temperatures and... is much more durable, has very high performance characteristics." (01:53)
  • Despite its reputation for delicacy, porcelain is extremely tough—think of your toilet, which is made from porcelain.
    • Josh Clark: "Actually, I have lifetime experience with porcelain in the form of a toilet, but I hadn't really thought about that." (02:39)

• Natural Ingredients

  • Key ingredients: clay, quartz, feldspar, with kaolin clay being the desired premium ingredient.
    • Josh Clark: "The most common material that's used is called kaolin, which is a kind of clay that's almost white. And this is like the big money, porcelain clay." (03:18)
  • Kaolin clay yields the fine, white, non-permeable porcelain used for high-quality tableware.

• Firing Process

  • Firing temperatures go up to 2300°F (1260°C); the firing duration and materials used determine whether the porcelain is for toilets, mixing bowls, or fine china.
    • Chuck Bryant: "When we're talking firing temperatures ... it can go up to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit, about 1260 Celsius." (04:00)

• Unique Features

  • Some porcelains are translucent—light passes through them when held up to a light source.
    • Josh Clark: "You can hold porcelain up to a light... and you can see the silhouette of your hand on the other side of it." (04:19)

The Origin & Spread of Porcelain

• Chinese Invention and Perfection

  • Porcelain originated in China ~2,000 years ago during the Tang Dynasty, developing further during the Yuan Dynasty.
    • Chuck Bryant: "Originated in China about 2,000 years ago, during the Tang Dynasty. But it wasn't like the porcelain we know." (04:38)
  • Marco Polo's introduction of Chinese porcelain to Europe sparked a centuries-long European obsession.

• European “China Craze” and Innovation

  • For centuries, Europeans imported porcelain from China, not knowing how to replicate it; hence, the name “china” as a synonym for porcelain.

    • Josh Clark: "That's why a lot of porcelain tableware is called China, because it was kind of like the... Like champagne is the sparkling wine. China was the porcelain." (05:33)

  • It wasn't until the 18th century that Johann Friedrich Böttger, a German alchemist, cracked the code and Europeans could produce their own.

    • Chuck Bryant: "A German alchemist, Johann Friedrich Bootger. And he figured it out... in the 18th century." (06:00)

  • Kaolin clay was discovered in Cornwall, England in the 1770s, leading to widespread European production.

Hard Paste vs. Soft Paste Porcelain

• Chinese vs. European Styles
  • China traditionally produced “hard paste” porcelain—denser and less prone to chipping.
  • Europe often produced "soft paste" porcelain, which is a bit more fragile and prone to chipping.
    • Chuck Bryant: "The Europeans use that soft paste a little more, so it's a little more prone to chipping." (07:08)

Porcelain Production & Properties

• Glazing

  • Contrary to expectation, glazing is decorative, not functional; porcelain is already impermeable due to vitrification—a glassy phase formed during firing.
    • Chuck Bryant: "I thought the glazing might be kind of the final key to make it impermeable to liquids... But really has nothing to do with it. It's already impermeable. The glazing is just decorative." (07:31)
    • Josh Clark: "It's impermeable because it vitrifies... Like the glasslike materials become glass in it." (07:36)

• Bisque Porcelain

  • Unglazed porcelain is called “bisque”—a term the hosts humorously connect to seafood bisque.
    • Josh Clark: "Unglazed porcelain is called Bisque." (09:34)

• Porcelain Tile

  • Porcelain tiles are favored for their durability; cutting requires a tile saw or wet saw due to hardness.
    • Chuck Bryant: "If you're cutting porcelain tile, you're probably going to need a tile saw." (10:52)

Valuing and Collecting Porcelain

• Valuable Collectibles

  • Porcelain artifacts can be extremely valuable and long-lasting, with some Asian pieces fetching record auction prices.
    • Chuck Bryant: "The world auction record for Chinese porcelain was set ... when the Ma Yintang Chicken cup was sold for $36 million." (12:40)
  • Rarity and condition drive value; many prized items date to when porcelain reached peak quality but lower production, making extant pieces rare.

• Sustainability & Recycling

  • Porcelain is recyclable, but not via standard curbside. Specialized recycling is required, yet this quality heralds a sustainable future as circular economies develop.
    • Josh Clark: "It can also be recycled. But that is a real niche... You have to go seek out somebody who recycles it." (12:27)

• Bone China

  • English innovation involved adding bone ash (typically from farm animals) to create “bone china,” requiring lower firing temperatures but yielding a slightly less strong product.
    • Chuck Bryant: "Bone china ... that was something the English did, and that's actual bone... from farm animals, and it would really strengthen that stuff." (13:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the value of porcelain:
  • Chuck Bryant (12:40): "The Ma Yintang Chicken cup was sold for $36 million. And you know, why is anything valuable? It's because there's not many of them."
• On bone china’s origins:
  • Josh Clark (14:21): "There is no way that in the history of bone china, no psycho has made it with human bones."
  • Chuck Bryant: "Yeah, that’s a good point. Are you enjoying your coffee?" (14:27)
• On the durability of porcelain:
  • Josh Clark (02:39): "I have lifetime experience with porcelain in the form of a toilet, but I hadn't really thought about that."
• On European attempts to mimic China:
  • Josh Clark (05:33): "China was the porcelain. It took them quite a couple hundred years, I think, before they finally cracked the code."
• On the clarity of porcelain technology:
  • Chuck Bryant (07:31): "The glazing is just decorative."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:37] – Episode introduction and Josh reveals this is the last episode of the year.
• [01:53] – Chuck describes porcelain’s fundamental qualities and durability.
• [03:00] – Josh describes the key composition of porcelain and introduces kaolin.
• [04:19] – Discovery that porcelain can be translucent.
• [04:38] – History: Porcelain’s Chinese roots and European adoption.
• [06:00] – German alchemist Böttger and the European breakthrough.
• [07:08] – Hard paste vs. soft paste; glazing myths.
• [09:34] – Bisque porcelain definition and discussion.
• [10:52] – Porcelain tiles and cutting methods.
• [12:40] – Porcelain value and record auctions.
• [13:46] – Bone china and its peculiar history.
• [14:21] – Joking about human bones in bone china.

Tone & Style

Josh and Chuck maintain a light, conversational, and slightly irreverent tone while delivering tightly researched facts, interjecting personal anecdotes, jokes, and friendly banter that makes the subject matter approachable and memorable.

Takeaways

• Porcelain, far from fragile, is an ancient, high-performance ceramic whose production and innovation have fascinated—and sometimes baffled—different cultures for millennia.
• The world of porcelain extends from your bathroom to multi-million dollar artifacts, and from art history to sustainability.
• As in many areas chronicled by Josh and Chuck, the histories of technology, culture, and commerce all come together in the story of one material you likely see every day—without giving it much thought.

If porcelain piqued your curiosity, collect a new fact for your next trivia night—or maybe even spark a new hobby in antique china!