Page 28 - Chinese porcelains collected by Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft, Cincinnati, Ohio, by John Getz

HISTORICAL

Chang, natives of Ch'uchow, who lived between the eleventh and twelfth

centuries, and produced the same peculiar results with their clay, in the
Lung-ch'iian district, where they worked together.

These brothers were both renowned for their porcelains ; but the elder,

Chang Sheng-i, was considered the more clever. He is said to have used

a brown-colored clay of fine quality and covered it with glaze that was
crackled and had the appearance of "fish roe"; he also produced vases of
the color of rice, and it is stated that his objects had the iron-colored
rim at the opening and at the foot. History records the fact that during
the last years of this dynasty potters tried in vain to imitate his work, and
that the clay they used was poor and the color of the glaze less agreeable.

The "younger brother," Chang Sh^ng-erh, made pieces of the same
colors without being crackled; the French translations specify among his

products pieces of an olive-green color, and also that others resembled

very ancient forms, probably copied from bronzes of the Han dynasty.

A blue of light color is also referred to as produced by "the younger

brother" (as he is termed in the Chinese records), that, as described, could
possibly be a sort of "clair-de-lune" glaze (distinguished by a heavy bluish-
turquoise tone, sometimes mottled or marked with a purplish tint) stated
to have had an effect as if covered with dew, but this later characteristic
is also attributable to old celadon, or " Martabani."

The embellishment of Sung celadons, as well as all the porcelain of this
early period, was confined to engraving and modeling in low relief. Most

of the specimens were crackled, and the different shades of glazes are
described as resembling the colors of pale emeralds, onion-sprouts, greenish
egg-shells, moss or grass green, while a few are designated as bluish-green,
and others as having a gray-toned green (the real celadon color). Next
to these, the "cream" or "buff-colored" glazes were most popular.

Another type of enamel porcelain of this epoch is referred to in litera-
ture, and identified with existing specimens.^ It was knowTi as "Chiin-
yao," or "Chiin-chou-yao," the factories being situated at Chun-chou(in

the district now called Yii-chou), prefecture of K'ai Feng-fu, province of

'According to the able Sinologue, Professor F. Hirth, Ph.D.