How can you tell the difference between hard and soft paste porcelain?

An antique English porcelain figurine. By Bow. In the form of a boy clothed in 18th century garb and holding a flute. We've noted losse...

Heading : Bow porcelain octagnoal, fan panelled, underglaze powder blue, landscape pattern dish Date : c1760 Period : George III Marks :Faux Chinese marks Origin : New Canton - then...

An attractive pair of lions, in the white; possibly based on a Chinese original.

This is a very charming orphaned coffee cup made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1755. The cup is decorated in a Chinese "famille rose" peony pattern. This cup would have been part of a large tea service, and the tiny size shows how expensive coffee was in the 18th Century. The Bow Porcelain Factory was one of the first potteries in Britain to make soft paste porcelain, and most probably the very first to use bone ash, which later got perfected by Josiah Spode to what is now the universally used "bone china". Bow was the main competitor of the Chelsea Porcelain Factory, but where Chelsea made very fine slipcast porcelain, Bow made a different soft paste porcelain that tended to be softer and could be pressed into moulds. Bow served a larger public generally at lower prices. The factory was only in operation between 1743 and 1774, after which the tradition got incorporated into some of the later famous potteries such as Worcester and Derby. The cup is unmarked, which is normal for Bow items of this era. Condition report the cup is in excellent condition without any damage or repairs. There are various glazing imperfections, which are quite normal for porcelain of this era. Antique British porcelain...

This is a fabulous pair of figures of Liberty and Matrimony made by the Bow Porcelain factory between 1760 and 1764. These figures were a popular pair portraying marriage. The bow...

This is a very rare and impressive complete set of large figures called The Four Elements, made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1765. It consists of Ceres representing Earth, V...