it's also speculated that his supervisor [Walther von Tschirnaus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenfried_Walther_von_Tschirn...) was the original inventor of European porcelain; and that Bottger had stolen Tchirnaus's notes from the family's tutor after von Tchirnaus's death and claimed the invention as his own

> In 1719 the arcanist Samuel Stölzel escaped from Meissen to Vienna and betrayed the secret of porcelain production. He claimed that Tschirnhaus and not Böttger had discovered porcelain. Also in 1719 the secretary general of the manufacture in Meißen, Caspar Bussius reported: "that the invention of porcelain is not due to Böttger but von Tschirnhaus and that Böttger received the written 'science' from Steinbrück

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Friedrich_B%C3%B6ttger

> Three days after Von Tschirnhaus’s death, there was a burglary at his house and, according to a report by Böttger, a small piece of porcelain was stolen. This report suggests that Böttger himself recognized that Von Tschirnhaus already knew how to make porcelain, a key piece of evidence that Von Tschirnhaus and not Böttger was the inventor. Work resumed on 20 March 1709, by which time Melchior Steinbrück had arrived to assess the dead man’s estate, which included the notes about making porcelain, and had met with Böttger. On 28 March 1709, Böttger went to August II and announced the invention of porcelain. Böttger now was nominated to head the first European manufactory for porcelain. Steinbrück became an inspector and married Böttger’s sister.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenfried_Walther_von_Tschirn...

user:	kemfic
created:	October 5, 2016
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