Page 67 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

FAMILLE VERTE.
293
work at the aud base is decorated with red. The
top foliage
is in blue and the latter traced in black, which
green, being
shows the enamel. The flowers are in
through red, blue,
and the latter not
aubergine, yellow, very brilliant, but still a
enamel. The seems much the same as
transparent aubergine
on the later The base is and
pieces. glazed slightly recessed,
the stand left in biscuit. It is with to
being regard pieces
such as this that Mr. Hippisley, at p. 418, writes as follows :
"
During the early part of K'anghsi's reign green was, as it
had been among the later productions of the Ming dynasty,
the predominating colour employed in decoration, such porce-
lain being hence termed ' la famille verte ' ; and to this
in fact, much of the ware so decorated, which
period belongs,
is ascribed to the earlier and is considered a
usually dynasty,
characteristic
Ming porcelain."
Nos. 505, 506, 507. This ginger jar (height, 8| inches ; mark,
"
Kang-he ") is of interest in considering the date of the origin
of the famille verte class. it has been
Although generally
conceded that the finer to this
specimens undoubtedly belong
reign, there seems still to be an inclination on the part of
many people to credit the Ming period with these early speci-
mens blue under the as shown
showing glaze. Now, this jar,
by the mark, clearly belongs to this date, and everything would
appear to point to similar pieces dating from the first half of
this reign, and perhaps by no means the very beginning of it.
The cap top where it meets the jar is edged with wood so as to
and this is not unusual about this time. We
prevent chipping,
find the necks of the large jars belonging to this date lined
with wood, so as to with the
prevent chafing drop stoppers.
The of this is
colouring piece fairly good, two shades of red,
the that on almost a bistre
lighter (or put thinly) being ; green,
these, with
two shades; yellow, poor; aubergine, black, and
the blue, make six colours in all. The trunks of the trees
are in aubergine.
"During the Sung dynasty a man named Ch'iu Hsien,
belonging to the village of Eternal Happiness, in the Prefec-
ture of in Kiang Nan, wished to a flower
Ping Kiang, plant
garden and set out a plantation, and did so. Afterwards a
wicked man named with Ch'iu
powerful, Chang Wi, quarrelled
about the flowers, and destroyed the entire garden, etc. ; but