Page 179 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

CELADON. 139

1487 are said to have been celadon in make and colour, as is
the cnp of Archbishop Warham (1504-1552), now belonging
to the New College, Oxford. These cups were much valued in
those days, as they were believed to possess the virtue of acting
as detectors of colour when filled with
poisonous food, changing
anything harmful. Celadon was probably originally the out-
come of the desire of the Chinese to imitate their favourite
in all its shades, from dark to white.
jadestone green milky
It would seem a far from the modest we can trace
cry jneces
back to the sixteenth to those we now find in the
century
hands of collectors, and there is little to as to the distance
guide
between the two ; but looking at the disturbed state of China
during the later Ming emperors, we shall probably not be far
wrong in assigning most of the fine pieces of this as of other
classes to the Kang-he period (1661-1722), and the more com-
in form and colour to even later of the
plicated periods Tsing
M. " As we
dynasty. Jacquemart says, p. 49, gradually
approach modern times, the crackles and celadons lose their
sombre aspect, owing to the transformation of the paste, which
becomes whiter."
In no class do we find greater variety or brilliancy of
colouring than in this ; nearly every colour and shade thereof
is to be met with. In shape the pieces are equally varied,
some with plain, some with engraved surfaces, while others are
decorated with raised ornaments, it may be figures, flowers,
"
or leaves. These are known as "engraved and "flowered," or
"
embossed," celadon.
The are the names which some of the colours
following by
met with are indicated —
generally :
Celadon Pigeon's blood, more of Browns
Sea-green a ruby red Metallic lustre and me-
Pea-green Liver colour tallic rust
Apple-green Coral Cafe au lait
Camellia green Tomato Tea-colour
Turquoise in various Ruby Lemon-yellow
shades Pink Imperial pale yellow
Royal blue Lilac Mustard-yellow
Mazarine blue Lavender Straw-colour
Midnight sky Clair de lune Orange
Sang de boeuf Peach bloom White lead
Mule'sblood, less clotted Crushed strawberry G reys
than the above
Purple