Page 79 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

BLUE AND WHITE.
297

globe you are at once told it belongs to the middle or last half
of this reign; thus it becomes a difficult matter to say what
was the of the now under
produced during early part period
review, as even the inferior specimens that might be so passed
are difficult to meet with, and it is a question if the better
just
was not made sooner than
quality generally acknowledged.
The paste and glaze, however, as compared with other wares,
argue in favour of the experts, and seem to uphold their
opinion, thus also making the famille verte class later than
generally supposed.
Nos. 512, 513 a blue and white
represent plate, probably
made the first half of this for the
during reign European
market. Diameter, 17 inches ; height, 3 inches. As shown in
No. 513, it has a flat, unglazed back, on which, in black, is the
Kang-he mark, and the six characters would seem to have
been written before the rings were made, as the reader will
notice that the inner one cuts the two bottom characters.
The decoration consists of a at sea, with two and
dragon large
three small fish. In quality this plate is not equal to what
we find later, and has all the of a
appearance being genuine
old and as such is of much interest, although the mark
piece,
may not be that of the Imperial factory. The question, how-
ever, is whether it is one of the nien-hao made before the
referred to under the next if so, it was
prohibition paragraph ;
made between the 1662 and 1677. This
years plate belongs
to Mr. Simons.
We will now take it that Kang-he has been some twenty
on the throne, and that we are on the middle
years entering
of this when we to find a marked
period reign, may expect
improvement in productions of King-te-chin.
Nos. 514, 515, 516. Blue and white ginger jar. Height, 8^
inches. Mark, two blue rings. Here we have the regular
" "
old figures (see p. 154) with big heads, which
Lange Lijsen
later on reduced to The of
got proper proportions. style
the hair is also different to that we find in later
doing pieces.
In No. 515 we have three ladies seated at a table with chess,
in No. 514 another is arriving with her lute, in No. 516 we
have a fifth coming to join the party with a fan in one hand,
while on the other the reader will notice the elegance of her
long nails. This jar is made of very good porcelain colour