Page 117 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

BLUE AND WHITE. 315

returned home; but he was never able to find the
again
"
entrance of that creek." Chinese
Biographical Dictionary,"
337.
p.
ISTos. 542, 543. Two blue and white dishes. Diameter, 14
"
inches ; height, 2g inches. Mark, Ohing-hwa" (1465-1488), in
two blue rings. Kang-he pieces with a Ming mark, and very
of the colour in broad washes, the blue
good examples applied
or dark to the of the
being light according quantity pigment
put on. At back of each dish there are two rock landscapes
in the same manner. In some different shades
painted pieces
of blue seem to have been employed when the desired effect
is not arrived at by the mere thickness of the pigment used.
The dish illustrates one of the tales taken from the book
top
of illustrious women " Lye nyu," which is given by Du Halde,
"
vol. i. p. 633, as follows : Chan Wang, King of Tsu, going
abroad in a voyage of pleasure, carried along with him one of
his wives, a daughter of the King of Tsi. One day, as he left
her in a little island, on the banks of the
pretty agreeable
great river Kyang, he received news that the water had risen
very high, all of a sudden. Upon this, he immediately de-
some lords to the from the she
spatched bring princess place
was then in. These lords rode in post-haste to the princess,
to desire her to make all haste she could out of the island and
to to the palace where the king was, and whither
repair they
had orders to conduct her. 'When the king calls for me,'
answered she, he gives his seal to them whom he sends off.
'
'
Have you the seal ? ' The fear lest the waters should over-
take you,' answered they, * made us set out in haste, and neglect
that 'Then you must return,' answered she, 'for
precaution.'
I won't follow you without it.' As they represented to her that
the rise of the water was very sudden, and in all appearance
would be should return for the
very great ; if they seal, it would
be for them to return in time. 'I see
impossible plainly,'
'
answered she, that by following you, I save my life, and by
remaining here I perish; but to pass over a matter of such
importance that I may escape death would be to fail in fidelity
and at the same time.
courage It is much better for me to
die.' They then set out in haste to get the seal ; but, not-
all the
withstanding diligence they used, the island was laid
under water when they returned, and the princess with all her