The Arcanum (Paperback, New Ed)

Chinese porcelain was much admired and collected in 17th-century Europe, and the secret of its manufacture was as eagerly sought after as the secret of turning base metal into gold, and often attempted by the same men. King Augustus of Saxony was the keenest of all seekers after the arcanum, or secret recipe; and this book narrates in great detail the involved and often dark events that eventually led to the discovery of the recipe, and the establishment of European porcelain factories, in particular at Meissen. Beauty and worth combined to make porcelain so potent a force that conspiracy, imprisonment, bribery, murder and suicide attended its history. The biography of Johann Friedrich Bottger, the imprisoned alchemist worked to death because of his claim of discovering the formula, is a book in itself, and he is only one of an extraordinary cast of enthusiastic, often misled characters in a story which is eagerly and racily told. (Kirkus UK)

Imprisoned in a fairy-tale castle and under constant threat of execution by his ruthless captor an 18th century apothecary struggled to realize the alchemist's dream. His name was Johann Frederick Bottger. But instead of transforming base metal into gold he was to discover the formula for something even more exotic and elusive, a substance so precious it was known as 'white gold'. And it was a formula for which others were prepared to lie, cheat, steal and even kill to possess. This was the remarkable backdrop to one of the most strange and compelling episodes in European cultural and scientific history; a tale of genius and greed, of demonic cruelty and exquisite beauty, of the best and worst of which man is capable - it is the true story of the invention of European porcelain.

General

Imprint:	Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	June 1999
Authors:	Janet Gleeson
Dimensions:	197 x 131 x 17mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	272
Edition:	New Ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-553-50692-1
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Historical, political & military Books > Health, Home & Family > Handicrafts > General Books > Arts & Architecture > Art forms, treatments & subjects > Sculpture & other three-dimensional art forms > Modelling (in clay, wax & other plastic materials) Books > Biography > Historical, political & military Promotions
LSN:	0-553-50692-7
Barcode:	9780553506921

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!