Page 133 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

FOREIGN INFLUENCE.
321
the piece, and consists of monsters amongst rocks and waves.
Below the collar, on the neck, is a band with dots, while
key
above is a band of curl work and heads. This also, like
joo-e
No. 554, is a fine
very piece.
FOREIGN INFLUENCE.
The of
question foreign influence in Chinese ceramic art
is a most one. It divides itself into
interesting naturally
two heads Asiatic and European. The former seems to be
of three kinds Buddhistic, Mohammedan, and Japanese or
adjacent countries. Of these we may take it that the first
is the oldest, as it probably came from India with that
in the Christian Mohammedanism was
religion early era.
introduced into China in the thirteenth but before
century,
that date trade had sprung up with Mohammedan countries,
and it is impossible to say when they first imposed restrictions
as to in their orders. Mr.
patterns sending Hippisley, p. 409,
"
says : As has been remarked earlier (p. 280), decoration by
painting in colours as distinct from the general colouring
imparted by glaze was, I believe, first reached under the Ming
In the it took the form of decoration
dynasty. Yunglo period
in blue under the attention was to this
glaze. Special paid
style during the Hsuante period." Such being the case,
it would seem that as far as the decoration was concerned there
would be no need for interference to the time thus indi-
prior
cated. her art from China
Japan, in the first instance, got
during the fifth century, but, as now known to us, we find little
trace of it in Chinese In the collection
porcelain. Salting
there are one or two made in imitation 21 of
large plates perhaps
21 This I consider rather a debatable I am more inclined
proposition.
to think that the manufacturers and artists took all their ceramic hints and
" " is nothing more
ideas from Chinese methods, and that so-called Old Japan
than a Japanese copy of an earlier Chinese porcelain. Especially having
regard to the low scale of colouring in the Chinese porcelain, blue under
glaze and red. One must not lose sight of the fact that Gorodayu Shonsui
was so delighted upon visiting China to have secured the secret of making
blue and white porcelain, as we find that on his return to Japan in 1513, a
few pieces were made till the clay he brought over was exhausted. It was
only at the end of the sixteenth century, llisanpei, a Korean potter, discovered
in the province of Hizen, and then a number of kilns were
porcelain clay
established. The Dutch at Deshima sent enormous quantities of this Old