Page 21 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.

This table is made up of dates which, for the most part, are
referred to later on. The short sketches of the of the
reigns
emperors (taken in part from Professor Douglas's article on
China, in vol. v. of the Enc. Brit.) are given, as it may interest
the reader to know of the men whose names
general something
so often occur as date-marks on of china.
pieces
Sung Dynasty, 960-1127.
1004-1007.—The Emperor Chin-tsung, who founded the
royal manufactory at King-te-chin, gave orders that all vases
made for the palace should be marked at foot " King-te Nien
Chi — that is, the name by which this period of his reign is
"
known, and from which this celebrated town took its name,
been before known as
having Chang-nan-chin, and where,
ever since very early times, the manufacture of pottery and
porcelain had been carried on (" History of King-te-chin ").
His Nien-hao was King-te.
Nan-Sung Dynasty, 1127-1279.
—
1171. "We first find any distinct mention of porcelain
'
'
out of China. In that year Saladin sent to Nur-ed-din as
"
of Chinese
presents forty pieces porcelain (Franks).
Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368.
] 280.—
in this
year, visited a porce-
Marco Polo, travelling
lain and mentions that it was all over
manufactory, exported
the world.
—
1295. John of Monte Corvino, a Franciscan, went to
China, and was made Archbishop of Peking ; died about 1328.
Writing in 1305, he says it was twelve years since he had
heard any news from Europe.