Page 134 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

Chapter VI

PORCELAIN DECORATED UNDER
THE GLAZE

history of Chinese keramics under the

1 Tang, Sung, and Tuan dynasties a

period of eight centuries (581 1367) in-

dicates that to produce a single-coloured or
Hewhite glaze was the potter's first aim.
under-

stood and largely practised the device of ornamenting

the surface of a piece with designs incised or in re-

lief, to which the comparative thickness or thinness

of the superincumbent glaze imparted an appearance

of dark or light colour. But the glaze was every-

Onthing. its lustre, solidity, and tone the whole

beauty of the specimen depended. To make it per-

fectly colourless and translucid, a mere agent for pre-

serving and revealing decoration beneath, did not find

a place among his methods, and, indeed, was not likely

to find a place in the case of most of his pates. The

dense, grey clay of the old celadons and their contem-

porary monochromes could scarcely serve a better

purpose than that of carrying a rich, opaque or semi-

opaque glaze, brilliant and yet restful. It has been

seen that the manufacture of finer pates was within

his competence. The Ting-yao proves this. Its ten-

der, fine and pure biscuit indicated a high degree of

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