Page 600 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

KEA-KING.
492
similar, where the body is of a grey white, imitating jade.
The is and fine, and the only decoration
porcelain very pure
consists of the raised baton in groups that typify the first
written characters of the Chinese language. Those here,
modern as they are, were brought from China forty years ago,
as a part of a fine collection of, for the most part, ancient
that realized at the death of the owner
porcelains 12,000."

Reproductions.
Nos. 880, 881, 882. We left the last club vase some hun-
dred years back at No. 609, but they seem to have come into
fashion again to some extent about this time, generally as
of the However, beyond the and
copies Kang-he pieces. shape,
that it somewhat resembles the old pieces decorated chiefly in
red, No. 880 is perfectly unique in every way, and were it
not for the paste, and the blues and greens employed, it would
be difficult to form any opinion regarding what reign it
belonged to, as the painting and everything about it is worthy
of one of the earlier periods. The key pattern on the flange
is in red, the bands on each side of the collar in green with
other collars, red comb pattern at top, and design below. The
drawing of the figures is in red and sepia, the face and hair of
the large figure being chiefly in the former, with red robe
covered with gilt designs, blue head-dress, and green trousers.
The smaller figures are in the same colours, but rather more
"
subdued in tone. The large figure probably represents Chung
^
Kw'ei," an imaginary being, believed to wield powers of
exorcism over malignant demons, and frequently depicted as
an aged man clad in ragged apparel, and holding a fan to his
face to conceal his An ancient once saw
ugliness. emperor
him going into a house, and asked him What are you going
'
there for?' He answered, 'To catch evil
spirits.' During
the fifth moon his picture is sold and hung as a charm." " The
Dragon, Image and Demon," p. 446. One condemned demon is
under the foot of the while another with
right large figure,
fear and
trembling presents a rice measure, which will probably
be found of short measure. In No. 881, two wretched creatures
await sentence with a wine vessel, the contents of which are no
30
The "Shoki" of Japanese mythology. T. J. L.