Page 25 - Chinese porcelains collected by Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft, Cincinnati, Ohio, by John Getz

HISTORICAL

of Works, as a substitute for glass, the secret of making which (according

to Monkhouse) had been lost. The other product refened to was called

Yu" T'ao " (pottery jade), as it resembled a certain kind of jade-stone, semi-

transparent and of vitreous appearance. It may be concluded that both

these wares belong to the celadon variety.

During the first years of the T'ang dynasty (period of Wou-te, 612),

Honative authors likewise state that a potter named Chung-ch'u (Ho

Tchong-thsou) made porcelain with a white body and brilliant as polished
jade, famed as " Ho-yao," or porcelain of Ho. It is further recorded that

Ho Chung-ch'u, together with other inhabitants of Hsin P'ing,^ was

ordered to make vases for the palace (Professor Hirth is of the opinion

that this potter made real porcelain).

It is assumed, from the impressions conveyed through the foregoing
particulars, that such productions had intrinsically the same translucent

kaolinic substance, more or less vitrified by complete baking, which, with

the white color, is taken properly to constitute the quality of porcelain.

M. Grandidier also concluded, in his work, that all earlier product referred
to as " Thao" was only a sort of pottery made of earth and stone, enameled

but less thoroughly fired.

It may be interesting to note that during the T'ang dynasty the follow-
ing different descriptions of porcelain (besides the more famous products
already alluded to), named after tovms and places where made, are enu-

merated : i.e., " Hung-chou-yao," " Yo-yao," " Ting-yao," " Shou-yao,"

" Yueh-yao," and " Shu-yao." It is assumed that some may not have
been porcelain ; but the last-named, which was made at Ta-i, in the

Szechuan province, probably was porcelain, if the description that it
was " snow-white," had a " clear ring," and was also " thin and strong,

is correct.

At the close of this dynasty a noted porcelain was produced under the

direction of the Prince Tsien-lieou (907), called " Pi-se-yao," or "Porce-

^ The name Hsin P'lng was changed, before the other materials used In the manufacture of porce-
end of the T'ang dynasty, to its present name, lain in China.
Feou-liang. It is the chief source for kaolin and

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