Page 148 - Chinese Art, Vol II By Stephen W. Bushell

30 CHINESE ART.
China, and sent by trade routes to alJ parts of tlie non-Chinese
world. The other factories have either disajjpeared altogether
or degenerated to provide a coarser ware adapted only for local
consumption.
The one exception to this general rule is the factory of Tehua,
in the province of Fuchien (Fuhkien), alluded to above, where the
white Chien Tz'u is produced. The potteries were established
here early in the Ming dynasty and are still working. Their
characteristic production is \\\e -pai fe'a, the " white porcelain"
par excellence of the Chinese, the hlanc de Chine of the older French
ceramic writers. It differs widely from other oriental porcelain,
the paste of smooth texture being of a creamy-white tint resembling
ivory, while the rich thick glaze, which has a satiny aspect, like
the surface of soft paste porcelain, blends closely with the paste
underneath. During the Ming dynasty these potteries were
celebrated for their well-modelled images of Buddhist divinities,
such as Maitreya, the coming Buddha ; Avalokitesvara, the Goddess
of Mercy; the Buddhist Saint Bodhidharma; together with the
immortals of the Taoist cult and many others. A fine statuette
of Kuan Ti of this period in the Salting collection, moulded in ivory
white Fuchien porcelain is illustrated in Fig. 9. It represents
Kuan Yii, a hero of the civil wars of the third century, who was
deified a thousand years ago, and is still worshipped as a state
god. Seated in a wooden chair carved with branches of pine
and sprays of prunus, of dignified mien, with frowning features
and flowing beard and mustachios, clad in a cloak over a coat of
mail bound with a jade-studded girdle, the figure is invested with
the thick velvety glaze peculiar to this province. An eclectic pair
of delicately moulded images in the same collection represents
Bodhidharma the Buddhist, in company with Chung-li Ch'uan,
the leader of the Taoist genii, wielding the fan with which he re-
vives the souls of the dead.
A group of ivory-white Fuchien jrorcelain, selected from sj)ecimens