The mineralogy of Böttger stoneware

In the early eighteenth century Johann Friedrich Böttger produced a remarkable type of red stoneware which is extraordinary hard and suitable for surface polishing. Although of considerable value for museums and collectors, surprisingly little is known of the elemental and mineral compositions of this type of stoneware. We have analysed Böttger objects and other red stoneware pieces from the Porcelain Collection of the State art Collections Dresden by non-destructive neutron-diffraction. The neutron analyses of about 20 intact jugs, vases and plates carried out at the spallation source ISIS provides a quantitative overview of the main mineral phase compositions. The data confirm the fine raw material selection by Böttger for the production of his stoneware. The mineral phase composition of Böttger objects, however, is not unique and similar to the also studied Yixing red stoneware.