Join master potter and writer Edmund de Waal as he takes us on a journey into the history of porcelain. Walking us through the remarkable stories of four extraordinary objects from the V&A's collection – a blue and white ewer, a delicate white cup, Wedgwood's First Day's vase, and a sturdy floral mug – de Waal reveals how he has reflected their histories in his own collection of fine bone china plates, titled 'On the White Road'.
Beginning in Jingdezhen, China – the place where Marco Polo first encountered porcelain in the 13th century – we travel along the Silk Road to Europe, where the material is continuously reinvented.
The Meissen factory cracks the mystery of how to make porcelain in 18th century Germany, Josiah Wedgwood in Stoke-on-Trent revolutionises the world of ceramics in England, and determined Quaker chemist William Cookworthy dedicates 20 years to creating porcelain in his Plymouth home laboratory.
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