Page 153 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

PORCELAIN DECORATED

nary hard-paste porcelain decorated in the same
manner. This, too, was distinguished by the grand
tone of the blue. Being more durable, it ought to
have survived in larger quantities than the Kai-pien-
yao, but the far greater esteem in which the latter
was always held doubtless gave it an advantage in this

respect. Certain it is that examples of Hsuan-te

hard-paste blue-and-white are not less scarce than

specimens of Kai-pien-yao dating from the same

period.

As to the decorative subjects employed at this early

era, it is difficult to give a comprehensive description.

Floral designs, dragons among clouds, conventional

landscapes, grasshoppers, figures, scroll-patterns, and

diapers were all in vogue. Speaking generally, it

may be asserted that a grave defect of Chinese deco-
ration, whether under or over the glaze, is its me-

chanical character. Except in the case of very

choice pieces, the same subject was the work of sev-

eral artists. One man traced or painted flowers only ;
.

another confined himself to mountains a third de-
;

picted nothing but trees a fourth made a study of
;

birds alone a fifth of fishes, and so on. Even in
;

painting human figures, the hands and feet, the faces

and the drapery were often undertaken by different

decorators. The natural result of this piecemeal

method of building up a picture was that the ensem-

ble lacked force and originality. Seldom are there

found on Chinese porcelain the charming and deli-

cate sketches, often as redolent of life as they are

faithful in detail, that impart such beauty and char-

acter to the master-pieces of Japanese keramists.

Here again an important distinction is established

between hard-paste and soft-paste blue-and-white.

in