Porcelain Dolls Pleasing to Look At, Music to the Ears When Struck

Did you know that there is a muffled musical sound when you strike a porcelain doll? So, these beautiful, shiny white porcelain dolls are not just beautiful to the eyes, but are even music to the ears. Their durability and versatility make them stand out among the many other dolls ever made.

Porcelain dolls come from a porcelain material which is actually a piece of ceramic, molded while in its white liquid form. It then acquires the shape of its molder making out the shapes of the dolls' heads. It was in 1710 when Germany finally concocted the secret formula that eventually led to a major production from the Western countries channeling to various countries of the world. And it is known that the very first porcelain doll heads were produced during the 1770s in Cornwall, England. There are two kinds of porcelain commonly used up to present times, the Chinese porcelain and the Japanese porcelain. There are two kinds of porcelain material, the Japanese porcelain and the Chinese porcelain. Collecting porcelain dolls requires better understanding of these two types of material.

Chinese Porcelain
For a thousand years, the art of pottery using porcelain during the Tang dynasty was a heavily guarded trade making China the sole manufacturer of such porcelains at that time. And at that time, China is looked up to as the country having the most beautiful porcelain products. Even the European palaces would have space only for elegantly molded and engraved porcelain products during the 1600s. At that time, only the wealthy families could afford to adorn their residences with delicate pieces of China porcelain. It is ironic; however that at present, ceramic products have just become a common commodity due to mass production making it so affordable for so many people less the affluent.

Japanese Porcelain
Though the Japanese porcelain is called Japanese, it is important to take note that it is actually the previous Korean potters who introduced porcelain to the Japanese in the 17th century. Japanese porcelain was labeled "Imari" originating from a town called "Arita", which is known to have been the capital of the Japanese porcelain industry. The name "Imari" tagged along and until now, Japanese porcelain is always referred to as Imari porcelain popularly known as striking blue in color and having a white background.

Old hand porcelain collectors look upon Imari porcelain as highly valuable not to mention its sophisticated style and design that what makes them a little more expensive.