Page 110 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

312 LE COMTE.
the I have been told in Siam that mixed
porcelain. they
with a made with white of
ordinary glaze composition egg
and shining fish bones ; but that is imaginary, and the work-
men of Fo-Kien, who work like those of Quam-si, make it in
no other After all these the vases
way. preparations they put
in furnaces, in which make a slow and uniform
they heat,
which bakes the vases without them
breaking ; and lest the
exterior air should do not withdraw them
spoil them, they
until after the when are of a
long baking, they thorough
consistence, and are slowly cooled.
"
This is the whole of so for
mystery porcelain long sought
in Providence and the interests of which
Europe. religion,
have me to travel over the
obliged greater part of China,
have not brought me into the province of Quam-si, where the
material is found of which is made
porcelain ; so I do not
myself know enough to describe the nature and qualities of
it ; perhaps it is not very different from certain soft stones,
which are found in several provinces of France. And if
like to make some and to
inquiring persons experiments,
different kinds of water, after the
work with care, employing
manner I have described, it would not be impossible to
succeed."
The reader will have noticed that Le Cornte seems to deal
with celadons and ware decorated under the He
only glaze.
tells us among the most esteemed descriptions there were three
a crackled
colours, yellow, grey (? celadon) ware, and blue and
white. Strange to say, no mention is made of famille verte,
the product for which this period is most celebrated. It may
be that he referred to the dishes and bowls he saw in
merely
everyday use, while the famille verte might only be employed
for decorative still the omission almost forces us to
purposes ;
come to the conclusion that the coarse, five-coloured ware of
Wan-leih had out of fashion, and that must
gone Kang-he
have been on the throne some before the famille verte
years
as known to us was at least in With
produced, any quantity.
regard to the yellow ware for daily use in the palace, no doubt
it was of and towards the end of the
very ordinary quality,
had been to! ruin the
Ming dynasty, King-te-chin brought by
immense demands at unremunerative for the
prices Imperial
household : it was part of the duty of those in charge at that