Page 27 - Chinese porcelains collected by Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft, Cincinnati, Ohio, by John Getz

HISTORICAL

years. Imperial factories were established at several places, the most
notable being the foundation, by Imperial decree, of a factory at Chang-
nan-tchin, which under Emperor King-te, or Ching-te (1004-1007), was
changed to King-te-chen, or Ching-te-chen, as it is written in some Eng-

lish works.

This Emperor ordered all the objects made for the palace to be in-
scribed underneath with the four words " King-te-nien-tchi," so that we
find here the record of a date-mark on vases for the first time. These

porcelains were at once distmguished for the brightness of the glaze, the

perfection of material, and the beauty of their forms ; and soon thereafter
they were imitated in many places and circulated throughout the empire

as "porcelains of King-te-tchin " (Julien).

Imperial factories were also established beween 071 1 and 1117 at
Pien-liang, the present department of K'ai-feng (Honan provmce), where
they made the so-called vases of the magistrates, termed " Kuan-yao," that
were of special quality and became famous in after years as " Impenal

mporcelain." It is recorded that they were thm and sometimes glazed a
nmmoonlight color, bluish or dark green, and pale green ; that the upper

was brown, and the foot of "iron-red" color. These vases also, it is

said, have been imitated in various places and at later periods ; but such

pieces are described as inferior to the originals.

The products at these different factories, including those of Lung-

ch'iian, appear to have been especially celadon, although moon-white and

bluish or dark green are also mentioned ; M. Julien referred to a " blue
porcelain," made at the beginning of this dynasty, although Sinological

erudition has since proved that this porcelain was really not blue, but "pale

green," or like the "green of onions." It is possible to identify the prod-

ucts of Lung-ch'iian, owing to marked peculiarities ; they are especially

nmcharacterized by the ferruginous at the foot, as alluded to above.

Other celadons of early periods exist, showing the white paste, where

unglazed, to be colored with a rusty-red wash, made in imitation of this
famous product or to simulate the true celadon, called " Ko-yao, and
" Chang-yao," made by the elder of two brothers, famous potters, named