success. Later soft paste was also made at
Chantilly, Vincennes, Limoges, Paris, and a number of French
cities. Even the celebrated Sevres ware, the finest thing in
china-making that France ever produced, was at first made from soft
paste. This is easily understood when you recall that at the beginning
the only clays the French knew anything about were pate tendre
clays. It was not until kaolin was discovered in 1765 and taken from
the section about St. Yrieix that hard paste, or pate dure, was
made in France."

"I see."

"Nevertheless the French people got wonderful results from their pate
tendre, and became wildly enthusiastic over the pieces the
china-designers turned out. And well they might for the French were an
inventive, art-loving people who certainly got fine results from their
early china-making. To understand the place art occupied at that time
you must remember that the Court was a centre for all those who were
interested in beautiful things. The King was ever on the lookout for
what was novel or artistic, and ready to give it his patronage; and
whatever the King patronized became the fad among the rich, idle
courtiers. So when the King turned his attention to the new art of
china-making its success was assured; as a matter of course all the
rest of the fashionable world did the same."

"It was a good fashion."

"A very good fashion. Often a monarch's patronage of arts and letters
called public attention to a praiseworthy production that might
otherwise live unrecognized for years. I sometimes think that in our
day it would be a fortunate custom if more persons of influence would
give thought and money to elevating the arts to their rightful
position of dignity. The old custom of placing artists and scientists
beyond the stress of financial worry is not a bad one. Such persons
are benefactors of the race and should be endowed that they may work
more freely. That is practically what the kings and emperors of the
past did for some of our great writers, artists, and inventors. That
is in reality what King Louis did for the newly-born china-industry.
When between 1740 and 1750 a company was formed at Vincennes to make
pate tendre, the King himself contributed to the venture 100,000
livres for its encouragment."

"How splendid!"

"It meant prosperity for France if the undertaking succeeded, so the
act was not perhaps as unselfish as it seems; however, such a donation
was of course a great spur to the w