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Paging Dr. Wall!

Created by ragiel

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Collectibles
Paging Dr Wall game quiz
"Worcester porcelain met an eighteenth-century demand for useful wares and superb cabinet art. Learn some of the details here!"

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  



1. So who was this Dr. John Wall anyway?
    All of these
    He was a porcelain enthusiast and a chemist. He was interested in developing a new type of English porcelain
    He was a physician practicing in Worcester during the eighteenth century
    He was one of fourteen men who founded a corporation in Worcester in 1751. Their intent was to manufacture a porcelain that could compete with Chinese imports


2. Hard paste? Soft paste? These terms are used repeatedly in describing the development of European porcelain. Which of the following statements is inaccurate?
    Hard paste refers to the high-temperature "hard firing" required to vitrify it
    Soft paste was made of a variety of substances, some of which were actually harder than hard paste
    Soft paste was an attempt to re-create Chinese porcelain
    Hard paste was made from kaolin, a pure form of clay


3. Excavations at the factory site suggest that the original formula was not successful. At that point, an alternative formula was purchased from Benjamin Lund, its developer. Lund had tried without success to manufacture his porcelain in where?
    Plymouth
    Derby
    Bristol
    Bow


4. I'm now looking at two early saucers and notice that one was decorated with blue transfer printing, while the other was painted with a brush. What does this fact tell me about their relative age?
    The print is probably older, because the expense of hiring painters was only practical after the factory started making a profit
    Nothing in particular. Suitable prints could have been imported from China
    The painted one is probably older because print decorating was not common in the 18th century
    Nothing in particular. Both techniques were used throughout the factory's years of production


5. Why was decoration applied under the glaze almost always blue?
    The cobalt pigment was relatively stable and thus convenient for mass production
    Blue decoration made it easier to confuse with the more expensive Chinese ware
    Surveys indicated that most people preferred blue
    Blue pigments could be placed under the glaze and finished in a single firing


6. Dr. Wall retired in 1774. By this time, blue-and-white patterns with Chinese themes were no longer popular.
    True
    False


7. I just looked up the pattern on one of my printed saucers, and the book says it's so rare only two others are known! It must be worth more because of its rarity?
    True
    False


8. Reasons why Worcester was preferred to other English ceramic products did not include which?
    Reliable production meant the items and patterns could be supplied to order
    It didn't crack when hot water was poured into it
    It was a lot cheaper
    It didn't develop an unpleasant taste after repeated use


9. What naturally-occurring mineral was the "secret ingredient" in the first successful Worcester porcelain?
    Soapstone
    Obsidian
    Limestone
    Quartz


10. A porcelain formula similar in composition to first-period Worcester was used at which of these factories?
    Coalport
    Plymouth
    Caughley
    Chelsea


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Compiled Jun 28 12