<p>
	Porcelain is a ceramic material including kaolin.&nbsp; It originated in China and the manufacturing process was described in Europe by the Jesuit priest Francois Xavier d&#39;Entrecolles in 1712.&nbsp; In France&nbsp; the Saint Cloud manufactory and Sevres manufactory produced soft paste porcelain in the early 18th C and from the late 18th C Limoges became the center of hard paste porcelaine.&nbsp; Porcelain is mostly used for tableware and vases but since the late 19th-early 20th C it is also used to manufacture decorative figures and groups.</p>