Fig. 65.—German Stoneware.
Fig. 66.—Dresden Candelabrum.
This porcelain, after it had been brought to a considerable degree of perfection, turned out a great success in its similarity to the Chinese composition of body, but in spite of all precautions to keep the making and the nature of the clay secret, the knowledge leaked out, and in a short time after we find that hard porcelain was made in many parts of Germany and Austria.
Fig. 67.—Dresden Vase; Jones Collection. (S.K.M.)
Like most of the wares made at other potteries at this period, the Dresden porcelain was at first an imitation of Chinese in shape and decoration. Almost every kind of articles were made at Dresden, such as candelabra, statuettes, modelled flowers, vases, services, &c., on which were painted with great delicacy, flowers, landscapes, and figures on grounds of different rich colours (Figs. 66 and 67).
English Pottery.
Ancient British pottery has been found in the barrows and burial mounds in the form of incense cups, drinking and food vessels, and cinerary urns. These have all been made of clays that were found usually on the spot, and are either sun-dried or imperfectly burnt.
The drinking vessels were tall and cylindrical in form, and the incense cups were wider in the centre than at either end. The urns and food vessels have a similarity of shape, being globular, with or without a neck. The decoration is of the simplest description, such as chevrons, or zigzags, and straight-lined patterns produced by scratching with a stick, or the impressions of a rope tied around the vessel while the clay was soft.