How do I clean an antique porcelain dish?

Wash antique porcelain gently by hand in warm water using a mild, non-abrasive liquid soap. Avoid soaking pieces with gilt highlights or overglaze enamels to protect the delicate surface decoration. Dry each item thoroughly with a soft lint-free cloth before returning it to the display cabinet or table.

How can I tell eighteenth-century porcelain apart?

Examine the footrim and body under good light to observe the translucency and any glaze pooling characteristic of specific kilns. Pigment tones and potting weight also provide clues to the period and origin. Factory marks painted or impressed on the base offer further confirmation when researchers have catalogued them.

What is the difference between soft and hard paste?

Soft-paste porcelain contains glass frit and clay substitutes, resulting in a softer body that scratches more easily and shows a warmer tone under the glaze. Hard-paste porcelain uses true china clay and petuntse, fired at much higher temperatures to create a dense, impervious material. European factories developed both types at different times to replicate imported Asian wares.