You may be sure he was not
long in tracking down the hair-dresser and learning from him where he
got his new powder. Next he went to the Saxon iron-master and bought
from him a great quantity of the stuff, after which the chemist shut
himself up in his laboratory to try out the new material. Think how
excited he must have been! And think how much more excited he was when
he found that this mysterious white clay was the substance for which
he had so long been searching!"
[Illustration: "HIS SERVANTS DUG SOME OF THE CLAY"]
"Kaolin?" gasped Theo.
"Kaolin!"
The room was very still; then Theo stammered hurriedly:
"And what happened next?"
"Well, you can imagine the joy the discovery brought; but it was a
carefully stifled joy, for with all his delight Boettger was far too
discreet to allow his wonderful discovery to travel outside the
confines of his laboratory. When the Elector Augustus was told the
news at his Dresden palace near by he was wild with delight, and
immediately began building a great porcelain factory at Meissen. By
1715 there was enough of the new ware ready to be put on sale at
Leipsic; and thus our beautiful porcelain, dubbed Dresden ware in
honor of the Saxon capitol, came into being.
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