Page 47 - Chinese porcelains collected by Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft, Cincinnati, Ohio, by John Getz

HISTORICAL

This period was marked also by the production of certain types and

objects which are masterpieces of the Chinese ceramists' ingenuity and

skilful workmanship. Aside from the delicate egg-shell plates with the

rose backs and wonderful painting, may be mentioned the vases having

the body formed of double shells with varying modes of openwork and

painted decorations in both, and the beautiful hexagonal and octagonal lan-

terns of delicate egg-shell porcelain, reticulated and ornamented with

paintings at once both rare and esteemed for their rich quality.

The fourth Emperor of the present dynasty was Ch'ien-lung ( 1 736-

1 795) the son and successor of Yung-cheng ; and he also protected the

ceramic industry with royal munificence during the sixty years of his reign.

In this period great quantities of line porcelain were made, and it was

during this reign that European influence began to affect the decoration

and the shapes of Chinese porcelain, due especially to the trade with Hol-

land and the Jesuit missionaries of France, which, started during the short

term of Yung-cheng, spread very rapidly.

Imitation of old wares was practised, but rather for native collectors.

Some writers state that a great number of genuine pieces of the Sung

and Ming dynasties were sent from the palace to King-te<hen (Ching-

te-chen) as models for this purpose, although imitation of ancient objects

always existed, as shown by native records, and also by the Jesuit fathers

at the close of the seventeenth century.

The director T'ang-ying, mentioned in the reign of Yung-cheng, con-

Hetinued his work and produced objects that surpassed all others. suc-

ceeded in reproducing the effect in porcelain of precious carved enamels,

and that of cloisonne. The desire to imitate other substances, which had

from the first animated the ceramic artists of China, culminated in this

reign with their mastery over colors and combinations.

They copied with wonderful closeness objects in gold, silver, bronze,

jade, lacquer, mother-of-pearl, shells, rhinoceros horn, bamboo, wood,

gourd-skin, marble, camelian, agate, and archaic or rusted iron. They imi-

tated also, at least in pattem and color, bottles of Venetian glass and

Limoges enamels.

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