Page 409 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

MILLE CERF. 421

not aubergine, as of old, but is painted in brown and black.
The dull white enamel which we found in Nos. 726, 727 is
in small where the shows on
present quantities underclothing
the figures in the centre. The ground is formed by light
sepia washes.
"
No. 728. This shows the perfect Sie Pok Chiong restoring
a who had been to his father."
boy, kidnapped,
"
No. 729. the old Nan Kik, carrying a staff,
Depicts fairy,
accompanied by a fairy boy, with a musical instrument. On
the road they meet two other fairies, one carrying fungus."
Mille Cerf.
This class might be called late famille verte.
No. 730. A pear-shaped vase, with short neck and wide
mouth; unglazed base. Height, 20 inches. Deer-head
handles. No mark. Made of rather wavy porcelain. The
decoration shows traces of European influence, and seems to
have taken in France under the name of the Mille Cerf. The
colouring is chiefly in browns and greens, the latter being of
that blue shade so often to be met with in Yung-Ching pieces,
so that we are probably not far out in according these vases
to this time, or a date near it. The stems of the pines
are not in aubergine, but painted in sepia and browns ; while
the hills seem to be traced in sepia and coloured in browns
and green, some of the higher peaks being in blue enamel.
The pheasants introduced here and there are in a dull red,
very thinly applied.
Pere Gerbillon seems to have accompanied the Emperor
Kang-he some seven times into Tartary on hunting expeditions.
The following, taken from the account of the fourth journey,
a idea of how the as far as
gives very good sport, stag-hunting
was concerned, was carried on. They set out from Peking
on the 8th 1692: "The 16th his set
September, Majesty
out before day to go a stag-hunting ; we went 20 li before we
dined. About 10 li further, having advanced a little into the
mountains, the emperor killed a stag that weighed above 500
From thence we entered into a
pounds. pretty large valley,
abounding in quails and pheasants, many of which were catched
by the hawks, and the emperor shot with arrows some
About two his Majesty ordered supper to
pheasants flying.