Page 42 - The art of the Chinese potter By Hobson

THE ART OF THE CHINESE POTTER

Afghanistan frontier, and the seat of government of the Ghori

Emperors of India. They are also called poison plates, from the

tradition that they possessed the property of neutralising the effect,

or disclosing the presence, of any poison that might be contained

in food placed on them.

A great many of these heavy celadon dishes and plates date from

Yuan and Ming times when world trade with China was widely

Adeveloped. characteristic feature is the broad unglazed ring,

often red in colour, found on the bottom of the dish marking the

place where the specimen was supported during firing.

A branch of the celadon family is found in the family called

" Northern Chinese," a term embracing a group of wares the

precise provenance of which is not at present known. The colour

of the glaze is an olive green of different shades, and the ware is

usually distinguished by a dark brown body and bold incised

decoration. Wares of this type were made as early as the 9th

century as has been noted on a previous page.

Perhaps the ceramic factory with the longest continuous history

in the world is that of Tz'u Chou in Chihli. Crockery Town, to

give an English rendering of the Chinese name, is said to have

commenced its ceramic existence in the Sui dynasty (589-618 A.D.),

and it is still a flourishing manufacturing centre ; thirteen hundred

years is a span of time of no mean order, a record in comparison

with which only Ching-te Chen can compete ; and the wares

produced from its kilns appear to have been of a similar character

throughout its life.

We have no definite examples of pre- Sung date to which we can

point, but specimens of Sung origin are easily found. The body

is a grey stoneware tending towards a reddish brown colour, and

the glaze varies in colour from white to black. The commonest

examples are dishes, vases, and jars covered with a white or creamy

glaze on which bold designs are painted in brown or black. The

white glaze effect is achieved by means of a white slip with a

transparent glaze superimposed. Another variety consists of black

glaze with or without a design in brown upon it. This black glaze
may or may not exhibit " hares fur " markings which are such a

feature in the temmoku glazes described later.

The Tz'u. Chou potter varied his effects by means of an incising

tool, and we often find specimens in which the unfired glaze has

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