Page 83 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

WARES OF "SUNG" DYNASTY

green of onion sprouts or kingfisher's plumage were
highly valued and must have been very beautiful, but
public acquaintance with them is confined to their
reproductions in the Tuan dynasty (1260 and 1367)

and by potters of later centuries.

Among the manufactures of these early times the

Chun-yao is distinguished by having marks on the bot-

tom of the best specimens. These marks consist of

deeply incised numerals, from one to ten. According
to the Tao-lu, one two," were
the numerals, " " and "

used to distinguish choice pieces, but Chinese experts

of "thteenpr"estehnetnduamyerdaelnsy this limit, and assert that up
In the " Illustrated wCeartaeleogmupelo"yeodf
to indifferently.

H'siang, four

striking examples of the Chun-yao wire are depicted.

Three of these are purple monochromes and one
" mule's liver "
has a reddish brown glaze, the
of fanciful collectors. " or
"" "
horse's-lung glaze " Mu-
" mule's-lungs
cus colour," and were
pig's-liver,"

terms jestingly and perhaps disparagingly applied by

Chinese connoisseurs to impure Chun-yao glazes.
Dr. Hirth, in his pamphlet on " Ancient Chinese

Porcelain," translates the following from the Tao-shuo
" The Liu-ch'ing-jih-
on the subject of Chun wares :

cha says : ' The Chun-yao shows in gradual shades the

brilliant effects of all colours, very prominently the

t'su-ssu pattern and the ch'ing (green or blue) colour
of a blazing flame.' '

With regard to this t'su-ssu-wen, Dr. Hirth says :

Julien translates this term by c veines imitant les soies (polls)

du lievre? and others have adopted this much too literal

translation cf. Marryat, History of Pottery and Porcelain,
;

p. 200 : " The most esteemed had veins resembling the fur
Aof the hare."
glance at the passages given under this

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