Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/328

 WOMAN'S HOME many privations ; but so weU did he please his employers that, at the termination of his apprenticeship, they assisted him to set up for himself in Plymouth under the name of Bevans and Cookworthy. so6 A te*pot decorated with detached sprays, sprigs, single leaves and blossoms. The shape of the handle and the narrow ring at the bottom are characteristic of the Plymouth factory Being an accomplished French scholar, Cookworthy studied the letters of Pere d'EntrecoUes. As a chemist, he would obtain from these useful hints as to the methods and ingredients used by the Chinese in the manufacture of their porcelain, and, since he was well acquainted with the minerals and geological features of Corn- wall, he set to work to search there for the essential constituents. It is said that he first discovered porcelain granite in the tower of St. Columb's Church. This had been brought from the neighbour- hood of St. Stephen's, and he afterwards found immense quantities of petuntse and kaolin in other parts of Cornwall. A patent to make porcelain was taken out by him, in conjunction with Thomas Pitt, in 1768, but a paper is still in existence in which he says, "it is now twenty years since I discovered the ingredients." As there is evidence that this paper was written about the year 1768 this would place the discovery in the year 1748. Plymouth porcelain is composed of kaolin, or china clay, and petuntse, which is china stone, granite being the source of both these ingredients. It will be readily understood by those who read the description of the component parts of soft paste porcelain that Cook- worthy's body was of a very different texture ; it closely resembled that of the Chinese in hardness and durability. If the test applied to soft paste porcelain be tried upon a piece of Plymouth it will be found impossible to make more than a mere scratch with a file, for Plymouth is hard, or true porcelain. At the time of the disastrous fire some years ago at the Alexandra Palace thousands of beautiful pieces of soft paste porcelain were reduced to a shapeless mass, while those of Plymouth and Bristol passed through the fire retaining their form and whiteness, and the most delicate details showed no signs of fusion. The chief characteristics of this porcelain are the dull glaze, frequently smoked in the kiln, and the ridges caused by imperfect " throwing " on the lathe. These ridges, or " wreathings," are also found on Bristol porcelain, but they are not found on any other china made in our country. They must not be confused, therefore, with the rings sometimes met with on Chinese porce- lain. These latter form complete circles, whereas those of Plymouth and Bristol are spiral, and can be best seen when held obliquely to the light. Upon the little pepper-pot illustrated these spiral ridges are so pronounced that they can be seen from a distance of several yards. Figures, animals, and sauceboats, in white, with raised moulded designs and flowers in high relief, were made at Plymouth. They are very much discoloured or smoked, but in spite of this the figures have a great charm. The discolourment and a certain iridescence in the glaze adds rather than detracts from their beauty by throwing up the A vase in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It shows the simplicity of form and decoration adopted by Cookworthy outlines and serving as shadows in drapery and under the raised flowers with which the base and background are embellished. Fruit - dishes and salt - cellars mounted upon rock and shell work are somewhat