Page 312 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

CHINESE PORCELAIN.
1 84
hand in a line parallel with the ground, and about as high as
his neck. The ball passes and repasses by him very swiftly,
nearly as quick as he can stretch out and draw in his hand,
which has hold of the string. It proceeds both sides from him
to the extent of twelve or fifteen feet. The wonder of the per-
formance consists in the apparent ease with which the difficult
feat is done, the speed of the ball, and the precision with
which it flies backward and forward, he all the time not touch-
ing the ball. If the ball should hit against his own head
while performing thus, it would crush it or dash his brains out
in all probability."
No. 314. Dish of fine porcelain. Diameter, 15J inches ;
height, 3^ inches. Mark, lozenge-shaped symbol in two
blue rings. At back, three red and green sprays. The deco-
ration is marked off in Indian ink lines. At the rim, and
marking off the centre decoration, are red bands with white
scroll-work, the former broken by eight reserves, with hare,
fish, fox, crayfish, hare, fish, fox, and crab. The space between
these two red rings is cut into eight reserves by radiating
bands in neutral tint covered with green enamel scroll work.
Four of these spaces are filled with landscape, two with
flowers, two with symbols. In the centre, rocks of light green
with a narrow blue lining, from which spring chrysanthemums
in red, blue, and The red are shaded white
yellow. by margins
at edges of petals, but the blue are unrelieved, and look
heavy ; the yellow, as usual, are shaded by black lines, afung-
at This be called verte.
liwang (phoenix) top. might paaony
No. 315. Porcelain dish. Diameter, Sh inches; height,
1 inch. Mark, leaf in double blue ring. Basket of flowers
1
with ribbon at top. Band at rim is broken by six reserves
filled with butterflies, the diaper pattern and speckled green
ground with flowers alternating between the reserves.
No. 316. Porcelain dish. Diameter, Sh inches; height,
1 inch. Mark, leaf in two blue circles. This dish is similar
1
in every respect to the last, except that the basket is of a
different shape.
These also are Kang-he pieces.
The borders in these flower dishes seem to vary but little,
and the mark, a leaf split up the stem, appears very often.
The larger sizes are generally made with fluted stands.