Fine china is a general term for high-quality, thin, translucent ceramic tableware and ornaments, usually porcelain or bone china. It is used both as a trade description and in everyday speech to distinguish delicate, refined wares from heavier earthenware and stoneware.
The word china recalls the Chinese porcelain that Europeans admired and tried to imitate from the seventeenth century onwards. In England, bone china, which includes calcined animal bone in its body, was perfected around 1800 and is closely associated with Josiah Spode, giving a strong, white and highly translucent material that became the national speciality. Leading makers of fine china have included Minton, Coalport, Royal Worcester, Royal Crown Derby, Spode and Wedgwood, producing elaborate dinner services, tea and coffee sets and cabinet pieces painted with flowers, landscapes and gilding. Collectors look for crisp potting, quality hand-painting, rich gilding, clear factory marks and complete services in good condition. Hairline cracks, rubbed gilt and restoration reduce value. Fine china remains popular for formal dining, and mixing antique and vintage pieces from different services is a popular approach for country house tables today.
