Page 306 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

YUNG-CHIXG.
386

Blue and White with Peach Bloom.
No. 664. A flat, full-moon shaped bottle. Height,
inches. Mark, Yung-ching in three columns. Made of fine
this is a of blue and white of
porcelain, very good specimen
this decorated with peach bloom. The workmanship
period
in is excellent, and, as is usual at this time,
every respect
the mark, it will be noticed, is most carefully written. The
key band at the top and the mangs on the handles are in
blue, the decoration, as seen in the illustration, consisting of
blue rocks springing from the waves at the base. On the
chief rock grows a carefully painted peach tree, with peach-
bloom flowers and fruit, while the lower rocks are covered with
clusters of peach-bloom fungus. On the other side, painted
most carefully in blue, are rocks, waves, and fungus-shaped
clouds with a peach-bloom sun and five bats, one of which is
just visible on the side of the bottle to the reader's left. The
blue is good and beautifully shaded, while the peach bloom
is of a rich red tone with the well-known russet that
spots,
have here and there. The
already been referred to, appearing
reader will here be able to notice the difference in the
style
of decoration to that of the last the broad washes of that
reign,
period have given place to the careful detail painting that we
shall find so much of later on.
Powdered Blue.
In the dish in Nos. 665, 666, we have a
represented typical
example of the porcelain of this period. Diameter, 13 inches ;
2 inches. in two blue
height, Mark, Yung-chiug, rings.
The surface, back and front, is covered with
powdered blue,
the flowers and in this case left and the
foliage being plain,
which is of a beautiful white colour, shows in
porcelain, up
marked contrast to the blue The flowers, leaves, and
ground.
stems seem to be very slightly recessed, while the veining
is somewhat moulded, so as to stand In some instances,
up.
the floral decoration is covered with or other coloured
yellow
glaze ; but perhaps the plain white is upon the whole the most
and The is all that could be
telling pleasing. workmanship
desired, the back being as carefully finished off in every
respect as the front of the dish. Many of these Yung-ching