Page 149 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

SHAPES. 117

rests on the table ; these are called flat-backed
plate plates.
When the stand projects it is called a flange stand (No. 117),
while others have grooved stands (No. 118). Plates vary very
much in and are called deep or shallow as the case may
depth,
be. Soup-plates belong to the former, dessert-plates generally
to the latter class.
Plates as used by the Chinese themselves have no rims,
but are saucer-shaped, some being deep and some shallow,
according to the purpose they were made for. These are
" "
called dishes," or saucer dishes." The back of the dish is
divided into back, stand, and rise but the face one
; being
surface, it is difficult to draw any division except it be bottom,
sides, and edge. In some cases there is a flange added (No.
250), when the dish looks like a plate with a very narrow rim.
Collectors may have a preference for dishes, partly because
of the old belief that the Chinese did not their best
export
wares, and therefore that more care was taken in the manu-
facture and decoration of their home shapes, and partly
perhaps to the fact that plates were not made in China till
such time as the Chinese commenced to make
foreign shapes
in fulfilment of orders that
European ; but that is so long ago
it should not weigh nowadays. In the later times, there can
be no doubt as work was on the as on the
just good put plate
dish ; this is exemplified in the eggshell plates as compared
with dishes of the same
description.
Spur marks (No. 119) are generally to be found on the
backs of but are not often met with on
Japanese plates,
Chinese are the remains of, or marks left the
plates. They by,
small of which were to the
pillars clay employed support plate
while in the kiln, and which stuck to the and had to be
glaze
broken off when the was taken out of the oven. These
plate
spur marks are generally found on the back of the plate ;
some are more marked than others, and in number.
they vary
The Chinese seem to have rested their on the stands
plates
during the firing, but some few pieces seem to have been
supported by an oblong piece of brick or iron, in which case
a similar shaped unglazed patch (No. 120) is left on the piece.
No. 110. Bound with rim. This in an
plate octagonal
auction would be described as a " with
catalogue plate shaped
edge," so as to distinguish it from No. Ill, which is octagon