Porcelain Lamps in the UK
Written 10 May , 2010
It is not hard to find porcelain lamps in the UK. Contemporary makes have an elegant collection of porcelain lamp shades that you can choose from. These lamps also come with porcelain lamp sockets for added elegance. While local makers are also producing lamps of various makes, porcelain lamps remain to be top sellers and hold their own against modern materials.
As with many things porcelain, porcelain lamps have a certain elegant and exquisite quality in them that are not seen in other materials. The translucent white in porcelain helps give off a soft glow so desired in a night light. Thus, porcelain lamp shades, notwithstanding the weight compared to linen ones, are perfect materials for lamps.
Porcelain was first discovered and produced in ancient China. The technology then was leaked to neighboring countries Korea and Japan. These oriental countries then flooded their areas with various porcelain pieces from the mundane to the remarkable ones.
Porcelain pieces are so beautiful such that it became popular even outside the orient. Both China and Japan began exporting pieces to Europe in the 17th century. The Europeans, charmed by the beauty of porcelain and the promise it brings in term of business, embarked on experiments in order to recreate the Chinese and Japanese pieces.
The first successful one was by Bottger in Germany. He was able to produce the hard paste ceramic. Germany then had the distinction of being the first European country to produce porcelain domestically, and is in fact now a leader in porcelain production in the continent.
Soon, most countries in Europe have their own porcelain production facilities. The French and English masterpieces are particularly remarkable. Yet, the oriental pieces from the Far East still command higher prices and larger demand. Thus, while Europe produced for domestic demand, exports from the orient still come to the frigid shores regularly.
Today, modern day Europe is till agog with ceramics. Functional items and decorative pieces of porcelain still adorn many homes, offices and receiving areas. The porcelain lamps are examples of the many things functional that are made of ceramics. The porcelain lamp sockets do not only give off the elegant sheen known in ceramics.
They also act as good insulating materials for the electric device. This goes to show that despite the ancient and oriental roots of ceramics, it can be fused usefully and beautifully with modern technology