Page 132 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

chou porcelain of the Northern Sung dynasty, and

this bottle, in its paste and form, in the colour of the

glaze, and in the engraved design, is altogether like

a Ting piece." The Tao-lu also gives the following
" So
particulars about the Tuan dynasty Shu-fu-yao :

soon as an order reached the factory, steps were im-

mediately taken to execute it. The clay used had

to be fine, white, and plastic. It was preferred that

these vases should have little thickness. The majority

of them had a small base and moulded flowers. Some

also were ornamented with gold and had flowers in

relief (of glazing material). The vases with large

bases were uniform and brilliant. In the interior of

these vases the words Shu-fu were marked. Imita-

tions of them were made by private potters, but inas-
much as when there was question of vases destined to

be presented to the emperor, only ten were chosen
out of every hundred, it will be seen that humble

private manufacturers could not attain the necessary

perfection."

It will further be remembered that during this
dynasty Lung-chuan celadons continued to be manu-

factured at Liu-tien. Summing up the keramic

products of the time, they are Lung-chuan and
Ching-te-chen celadons (the latter differing from the
former in quality of pate and delicacy of colour) ;
white soft-paste ware of Ching-te-chen, and finally
the remarkable Tuan-tsu with its clair-de-lune body-
glaze and blood-red marking. Under the same
dynasty porcelain decorated with blue under the glaze
was also manufactured, but it will be more conven-

ient to speak of this later on, as well as of another

product, then in its elementary stage, porcelain or
stone-ware with enamel decoration over the glaze.

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