1651-1708

German mathematician, physicist, and chemist who made a number of technological advances in his search for the secret of true porcelain. As early as 1675 Tschirnhaus was experimenting with radiant heat and mirrors to discover the melting point of substances such as kaolin, a vital ingredient of the hard-paste porcelain eventually developed with the assistance of German alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719) at the Meissen factory. The celebrated Meissen porcelain factory owed its inception to the association between Tschirnhaus and Böttger.