Page 295 - Chinese porcelains collected by Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft, Cincinnati, Ohio, by John Getz

;
be disdngiushed by his low stature, extremely
lofty forehead, and long flowing beard. Some-
times he is shown nding on a stag or a tortoise,
and generally holding
other times the hiiit of the fabulous fruit-tree
" Fan-tao," which blossoms every three thou-
sand years and does not yield its peaches until
three thousand years afterward.
Ll-CHl \Nephelium Li-chi), a fruit sometimes
grouped, in decoration, wth peaches or flowers
up>on Yung-cheng and other porcelains.
LO-CHOU. This mystic enigmatical de^^ce was
Haoriginated in the remote dynasty of
and inspired by the markings on the back of a
turtle which appeared on the surface of the
water to \ u, a sovereign of that remote period,
during great inundation of the country (22 I 7-
2197 B.C.).
Chinese and Ancunite philosophers still cling
to its forms and uses, and military movements
or positions of troops have been regulated by
its uses ; combination of the points also signify
various virtues.
LOHAN. See Arhats.
LONGEVITr', GOD OF (Shou Hsing), one of the
three star-gods (the others being the God of
Happiness and the God of Rank), often grouped
or shown separately on porcelains. See Lao
Tsze.
WooLongevity, the first and greatest of the "
Fuh," or five blessings, emblems of which occur
frequently on porcelain, and take a great variety
of forms, all symbolizing good wishes to the
possessors.
Lotus, a Buddhistic flower. The Chinese place
the Nelumbium Opea'osum, or " sacred lotus," at
the head of cultivated flowers. It perpetuaJly
occurs on porcelain, and may be called the em-
blem of fruitfulness ; it is also symbolical of
summer.
LUCK^' Emblems, (" Pa-chi-hsiang "), eight in
number, are of Buddhistic origin and derived
from India. They are altar-pieces, and, caned
in wood or molded in clay vMth vanations both
of shape and detail, enter largely into the archi-
tectural decoration of temples. In their or-
dinary form they also appear on porcelain cis:
( 1 ) a bell (" Chung "), or a wheel with fillets
(" Lun "), representing the wheel of law ; (2)
Loa shell with fillets ("
the Buddhists
;
GLOSSARY
state umbrella with fiUels; (4) a canopy (" Kcii ")
with fillets (5) a lotus-flower (" Lien-hua "),
;
sometimes replaced by the p)eony (Afotrfan)
a " " in his hand, at (6) a vase (" Kuein ") with fillets (7) two
Ju-i ;
dishes (" Erh Yii ") united by fillets, allegorical
of domestic happiness (8) angular knot with
;
fillets (" Chang "), an emblem of long life.
LU HsiNG (the God of Rank), one of the three
star-gods. See Shou an6 Fu Hsing.
Magnolia (Yulan). M^gnoiu Conspicua, the
emblem of sweetness or beauty : often found
depicted on Ming and early K'ang-hsi speci-
mens.
(B.C.),
Magpie, the "bird of happiness" (from its
merry-sounding chatter), especially favored and
protected by the present occupants of the throne
of China, by reason of the part played by this
bird in the divine ongin of their ancestor. It
is owing to those legends that the magpie fig-
ures so ohen on the porcelains of this dynasty,
and especially during the period of Ejnperor
K'aing-hsi.
Mandarin Ducks ("Yuan-yang"), beautiful
fowls which, when mated, manifest a singular
degree of attachment for each other, and hence
are often used as emblems of connubial affec-
tion and fidelity.
Mandarin Flowers, a term sometimes ap-
pKed to the most popular Chinese flowers, i.e.,
chrysanthemum, peony, magnolia, prunus blo^
som, and orchid sprays.
Mandarin Porcelain, a term used by Jacque-
mart to distinguish certain types of an elaborate
style of embellishment, generally depicting man-
darins, with attendants or other accessories,
upon reserved pcinels that are usually surrounded
with superabundant decorations, including or-
naments in slight relief and gilt. The finest
pieces are of egg-shell, dating from the end
of K'ang-hsi to very recent times.
MaNG, a composite beast resembling the dragon
without horns, and often employed as a deco-
ration on porcelain. In aut it is usually repre-
sented as a lizard with scowling head and
beard, a long serpentine body, and four feet
bearing claws but without talons.
Motives of Decorations (on porcelains).
Chinese artists drew their historical, legendary,
and religious inspirations almost entirely from
their literature, or from paintings produced by
"), the chank-shell of
(3) am umbrella (" San "), a
119