Page 81 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

WARES OF "SUNG" DYNASTY

among the productions of the dynasty, but by Chinese

connoisseurs at the time (second half of the sixteenth

century) when the Illustrated Catalogue of H'siang

was written, it was placed at the bottom of the list
of Sung products. This unfavourable verdict did
not, however, receive the endorsement of subsequent
critics, and was certainly not admitted by the potters

of Ching-te-chen in the eighteenth century, who
spared no pains to reproduce the Chun glazes. The
factory stood near the city now called Yu-chou, in the
Kai-feng-fu district of Honan province, where, at a

somewhat later date, the celebrated Kuan-yao celadons
were produced. During the Sung Dynasty Yu-chou
was called Chiin-chou or Chiin-tai : hence the term

Chun-yao. The factory dated from the beginning of

the dynasty, that is to say from about 960 A.D. Like
other Sung wares, the Chun-yao undoubtedly im-

proved materially in quality during the three cen-
turies of the dynasty. But as its manufacturers
depended entirely on the colour and texture of their
glazes, they did not attempt to produce a thin trans-
lucid pate. Generally their ware was thick and solid,
though well manipulated and having good timbre.

It may be described as very fine stone-ware, showing
in places a reddish brown tint. The most esteemed

glazes were vermilion red (Chu-hung} and aubergine

purple (ctiieh-tzu). The former was not a brilliant
colour, but rather soft and dappled. The latter is

compared by Chinese connoisseurs to the purple of
ripe grapes. These, however, were not the only
colours produced. Moonlight blue (clair-de-lune} and

green of various tints are also found. The aubergine
variety of Chun-yao appears to have been a mono-

chrome, but the so-called red glazes were polychro-

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