Page 276 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

KANG-HE.
374
a most executed lotus scroll, along with the
beautifully eight
Buddhist symbols. Certainly it is a wonderful piece of art
that one would not ascribe to an earlier than the end
period
of the of
reign Kang-he.
" "
These bowls both to the blanc de Chine
belong class,
and the former to what is known as the Corean section thereof
No.
(see 203).
KAKIYEMON.
In comparing the Chinese porcelains and their decoration
with those of Japan, some people, among whom, seemingly, the
late Mr. Monkhouse must be numbered (see pp. 42, 119 of his
book), are of opinion that at one time during the middle of the
seventeenth century the Japanese were ahead of the Chinese.
The Japanese themselves, however, although justly proud of
their which no doubt is to that of China,
glazed pottery, superior
no claim to at time in The idea
lay pre-eminence any porcelain.
above referred to arises from a too
probably according early
date to the best of what is called the French
specimens by
colorieedu and of which Mr.
"premiere qiialite Japon" Winthrop
the
gives following description :
"
In the seventeenth century there was imported into
Europe from the East a porcelain of a remarkably mat-white
body decorated with enamel colours very limited in number,
but brilliant to a fine effect. These were
sufficiently produce
never under the glaze, blue, where used, being a thick opaque
mass, and associated with a fine iron red, yellow, black, and
green. Specimens of this ware are frequently found in the
of the form of which
shape hexagonal vases with covers (from
the well-known ' old Worcester hexagons ' and others were
doubtless and their seem to have been
taken); panels very
commonly decorated with the prunus blossoms growing upon
stems, sometimes with and sometimes without ' exotic birds.'
The shoulders of such vases are treated with a close
generally
meander of conventional scrolls, broken occasionally by an
iron-red flower, the scrolls being in green enamel.
'
" * committed the blunder of these
Jacquemart classing
'
'
porcelains as Corean (the Coreans have never manufactured
and various authors have his words. In these
porcelain), copied