Esther Barton, age 11, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for her question:

WHAT IS DRESDEN CHINA

Dresden china is a delicate white glazed porcelain decorated in relief, bright color and gold. It was first produced in Meissen, Germany but was named Dresden after a nearby town.

It was in Dresden that an alchemist named Johann Friedrich Bottger

discovered the secret of porcelain making in 1708. Bottger found that a white clay called kaolin could be used to produce porcelain like that made in China and Japan.

Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, had ordered Bottger to try to make gold from other metals. But Bottger's discovery of porcelain led the king to establish a factory in Meissen. He put Bottger in charge.

Bottger perfected his porcelain and developed a glaze and various methods of decoration. From 1719 until 1870, the Miessen factory flourished, in spite of wars and changes in management, artists and workmen. During that period the factory enjoyed the patronage of kings and the products won great popularity in Europe and elsewhere.