Page 45 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

DIFFERENT STYLES OF WRITING. 17

This no doubt correctly represents the condition of art
under the Tartar emperors, and is confirmed by Father Eipa,
who, for thirteen years (1709-1722), was one of the European
artists employed by Kang-he, and seems to have existed under
the if not for long before their time. To
Ming emperors,
begin with, however, art apparently occupied a very different
position, but, as time went on, like everything else in China,
it to have been forced into a certain and with
appears groove,
the stamping out of individuality, the social position of the
artist naturally fell.

DIFFERENT STYLES OF WRITING.
The Chinese have a great admiration for their written
character, and make use of inscriptions for ornamental pur-
On some of this is the sole means of
poses. pieces porcelain
decoration employed.
Chinese philologists arrange all the characters in their
language into six classes, called luhsliu, or six writings, the
first of which were from which the others
picture hieroglyphics,
sprung. These characters simple and compound, the Chinese
have six distinct styles of writing, "varying in clearness,"
Professor "from the character used in
says Douglas, square
books of the present day, to the seal and grass, or cursive
characters, which are noted for their obscurity ; but above
and beyond these six styles of writing, Chinese penmen not
unfrequently allow their imaginations to run riot when en-
"
gaged in fanciful or ornamental pieces of caligraphy." An
extraordinary specimen of this quaint taste is to be seen in
the Chinese library of the British Museum, where there is a
copy of the Emperor Keen-lung's poem on Moukden, printed
both in Chinese and Monchoo in thirty-two kinds of strangely
"
fanciful characters (Enc. Brit., v. 655).
The is taken from the " Middle
following Kingdom," vol. i.
475 " The Chinese their characters as
p. : regard highly elegant,
and take unwearied to learn to write them in a beauti-
pains
ful, uniform, well-proportioned manner. Students are generally
c