Page 473 - Chinese pottery and porcelain : an account of the potter's art in China from primitive times to the present day

Motives of the Decoration 297

landscape with appropriate accessories, such as blossoming peach
trees in a mountain scene for spring, a lake scene with lotus gatherers

for summer, a swollen river and autumn tints for autumn, and a snow-
storm for winter.

A great variety of symbols and emblematical devices appear

in the porcelain decoration of all periods, whether interwoven with
the designs, grouped in panels, or placed under the base in lieu of
a mark. Bushell ^ classifies the most familiar of them under the
following headings :

1. Symbols of Ancient Chinese Lore: Pa-kua and Yin-yang
(see p. 290) ; Pa yin (eight musical instruments) ; Shih erh chang
(twelve ornaments embroidered upon sacrificial robes).

2. Buddhist symbols: Pa chi hsiang (eight emblems of happy
augury). CKi pao (seven paraphernalia of the chakravartin or

universal sovereign).

3. Taoist symbols: Pa an hsien (attributes of the Eight Im-

mortals).

4. The Hundred Antiques {Po ku). Pa pao (the Eight Precious

Objects).

The pa-kua (eight trigrams) and the Yin-yang symbol of the duality
of Nature have been described. The eight musical instruments
are : (1) ChHng, the sounding stone, a sort of gong usually in form
of a mason's square. It forms a rebus for cliing (good luck). (2)
Chung, the bell. (3) Ch'in, the lute. (4) Ti, the flute. (5) Chu,
the box, with a metal hammer inside. (6) Ku, the drum. (7)
Sheng, the reed organ. (8) Hsiian, the ocarina, a cone with six

holes.

The twelve chang or ancient embroidery ornaments are : (1)
Jih, the Sun, a disc in which is a three-legged bird, and sometimes
the character jih 0. (2) Yueh, the moon ; a disc with hare, toad
and cassia tree, and sometimes the character yiieh ^. (3) Hsing
ch'en, the stars : represented by three stars connected by straight

lines. (4) Shan, mountains. (5) Lung, dragons. (6) Hua ch^ung,

the " flowery creature," the pheasant. (7) Tsung yi, the temple
vessels : one with a tiger design and the other with a monkey. (8)
Tsao, aquatic grass. (9) Huo, fire. (10) Fen mi, grains of rice. (11)
Fu, an axe. (12) Fu, a symbol of distinction ^ (see vol. i., p. 227).

1 O. C. A., p. 106.

* It is also used as a synonym for " embroidered," and when it occurs as a mark,
on porcelain, it suggests the idea " richly decorated."

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