Page 277 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

PORCELAIN DECORATED

used to colour the leaves and stems of the plum trees,
or to pick out the rocks from which they grow ; the

general character of the decoration does not differ,

however, from that of the Hei-ti-pai-hwa. The earli-

est authenticated specimens of both wares alike date
from the Kang-hsi era, and the manufacture was con-

tinued with excellent results until the close of the

Chien-lung period (1795). These porcelains are

prized in China. They appear to have been pro-

duced in limited quantities : good pieces are not pro-

curable without considerable difficulty. The pate

alone guides the amateur to determine whether a

specimen belongs to the Kang-hsi or the Chien-lung

era an unessential distinction, seeing that the pro-

ductions of the two periods, in this class, are equally

excellent. An important point is the quality of the

black glaze. It should be glossy, uniform, and free
from metallic tints. Very often, however, in speci-
mens of the highest excellence, the black ground is

pervaded, or broken, by a sheen of dark green. Imi-

tations manufactured during the present century are

always faHualtwythion rtnhi"s respect. So valuable has the
" Black and so scarce is it in
become,

the Chinese market, that European potters recently

thought it worth their while to forge some imposing

specimens and send them to China for sale. The

fraud was easily detected owing to the palpable infe-

riority of the imported pieces. For some unex-
reason fine specimens of " Black Hawthorn "
plained

often bear the mark of the Ming Cheng-hwa era,

though they were plainly manufactured during the
eighteenth century. There is no evidence that any

such porcelains were produced by the Ming potters,
unless the use of a spurious M/Vzg'-era mark may be

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