Beautifully Narrated Classic
The White Road
Edmund de Waal embarks on a captivating journey through history, tracing humanity's ancient obsession with porcelain.
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About the book
From the mountains of China where the precious white clay was first discovered, through Renaissance Venice and the courtly workshops of Dresden, to the Wedgwood factories of England, he follows the story of this luminous material that captivated emperors and artists alike. Part memoir, part cultural history, this exploration weaves together art, craft, and personal reflection. De Waal, himself a renowned ceramicist, brings an intimate understanding of his subject, revealing how the quest for "white gold" shaped trade routes, sparked scientific innovation, and inspired both breathtaking beauty and colonial exploitation. It's a meditation on fragility, value, and our enduring desire to create objects of transcendent whiteness.
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