Focusing mainly on ceramics produced at Sevres and Meissen during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, developments occurring in the evolution of ceramic technology and ceramic style are compared. It is seen that, at the beginning, new centers of production have an intensely creative period, developing a characteristic style which continues on. When a new material, such as hard-paste porcelain at Sevres, is introduced it is always accompanied by new style. Thus, the history of porcelain manufacture shows that technological innovations are an important factor in the evolution in style.