Page 250 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

1 62 CHINESE PORCELAIN.
The dragon is the symbol of the emperor, and the phoenix
of the empress ; this is an old motive, representing the emperor
and empress.
"
Doolittle, p. 530 : The emperor appropriates to himself
the use of the true the one which has five claws on
dragon,
each of its four feet. On his dress of state is embroidered a
likeness of the his throne is the '
dragon ; styled dragon's
' ' '
seat his bedstead is the bedstead his counte-
; dragon's ;
nance is the ' face ' his are the ' '
dragon's ; eyes dragon's eyes ;
'
his beard is the ' beard the with which he
dragon's ; pencil
'
writes is called the ' his is the '
dragon's pencil ; body dragon's
3 5?
body.'
Bed over the Glaze.
No. 266. Porcelain bowl, fluted so as to be somewhat
octagon in shape ; gilt edge. Height, 3J inches ; diameter,
7 inches. Mark, Taou-kwan seal in red, 1821-1851. This
is covered with red over the the four of
piece glaze, sprays
bamboo, prunus, paeony, and lotus with which it is decorated
left uncoloured so as to show white on the red
being up ground.
It will be noticed that the bamboo is introduced here instead
of the
chrysanthemum (see Coral, p. 163).
No. 267. A fish-bowl. 7 inches
porcelain Height, ; diameter,
L inches. No mark. The base recessed and
9£ is slightly
glazed, with exception of the edge on which the piece rests.
The decoration consists of nine red lions playing with three
balls (ehus) of different patterns, coloured blue, yellow, and
pink ; the ribbons attached to the balls are iron-red, same as
the lions.
324 " no means a
Anderson, p. : The lion of the artist is by
formidable beast, despite its and fierce countenance.
big eyes
It is with curled mane, disporting
usually depicted beautifully
amidst paeony flowers, or indulging in kitten-like gambols Avith
a sacred gem, as harmless as its pictorial brother in European
and even less resemblance to the real
heraldry, offering
"
'
monarch of the forests.'
The inside is on the bottom, where a few dark
plain, except
green rocks, with light green water-plants and seven small red
are all in miniature, seemingly to
gold-fish, painted represent
distance when filled with water.