Page 129 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

BLUE AND WHITE. 319

favourite, elevated her to the rank of Empress consort, con-
ferring the rank of lady of honour upon her younger sister.
Was driven to commit suicide in B.C. 6, after the decease of
Ch'eng Ti, through the machinations of his successor's consort."
Although perhaps possessing little charm for the con-
noisseur, the piece represented by Nos. 548, 549, 550, is of
considerable interest to the collector on account of the inscrip-
tion with which it is in decorated. It be said to tell
part may
its own tale. A blue and white vase with wide
pear-shaped
a at the
neck, the stand, as in No. 326, forming receptacle
bottom of the vase, it no doubt was intended as a cuspidore,
although it is stated by the maker to be a flower vase, but this
is merely an instance of how the Chinese delight to call things
by their wrong names, if by so doing they can add to the
dignity of an article intended for a more homely purpose. In
sending the translation Mr. Tan Jiak Kim of Singapore writes
"
as follows : Herewith the translation of the Chinese charac-
ters on the flower it is an advertisement of the manufac-
pot,
turers, and runs as follows : ' The province of Kiang se, Foo
choo has much to
county, twenty-fifth magistracy, pleasure
offer permanently this pair of flower pots to the god of Kuan
Sin. Eighth moon of the forty- seventh year of the reign of
"
Kang-he. Then follows the maker's name.' Here, then, by
its own we have a vase not made in the
showing, Imperial
at but at one of the kilns in the
factory King-te-chin, private
neighbourhood. The blue in this case is not of fine quality,
but we must not therefore jump at the conclusion that private
makers could not turn out work to that of the
equal Imperial
manufactory in fact, there is much about this vase to lead
us to think that were able to do so if
they perfectly they
could get a price that would pay their so doing.
This piece is 14^ inches in height. The mark is said to
be <( Chow Yuen Tso Choh," but the meaning seems doubtful ;
the first two characters may refer to the dynasties so named,
while the last two may be the maker's name. " The figures
depicted are the gods of Happiness, Emolument, Longevity,
and Felicity, and four youthful genii attendants."
Nos. 551, 552, 553 represent a cylindrical (club shaped)
blue and white vase. 18 inches. No mark. One of
Height,
those pieces that connoisseurs set great store by, porcelain,
VOL. II. E