With the spread of oriental porcelain in Europe, the West also tried to imitate its whiteness and translucent appearance. The first experiments took place in the sixteenth century in Italy and in particular in the Florence of the Medici. The latter were in fact passionate collectors of porcelain and Cosimo I de 'Medici, an important patron of the arts, is said to have managed to bring together as many as 400 oriental specimens. it is however probable that until the death of the Grand Duke in 1574, no porcelain pottery had been produced on site and that the Florentine attempts were rewarded only during the Grand Duchy of his son Francesco I (1576-1578). Towards the end of the century other types of pasta were developed in France, in particular in Rouen and Saint-Cloud, under the aegis of the Duke of Orléans.Latest arrivals
