Page 354 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

2o6 CHINESE PORCELAIN.

with round buttons of or in lieu of ones
crystals glass, gilt ;
the ornamental ball rank is taken from the as
denoting cap,
well as the tuft of crimson silk. As the Chinese shave their
heads, the neglect and desolation of mourning is indicated
the hair for the same reason that some
by letting grow ;
nations, who wore their long hair, have shaved it during that
period.
"
On the death of the the same observations are
emperor,
kept, by his hundreds of millions of subjects, as on the death of
the of each individual. The whole remains un-
parent empire
shaven for the of one hundred Avhile the of
space days, period
mourning apparel lasts longer, and all the officers of Govern-
ment take the ball and crimson silk from their caps.
"
The mutilation of the women's feet extends lower down in
the scale of society than might have been expected from its
disabling effect upon those who have to labour for their sub-
sistence."
Although Sir John Davis does not mention the fact, it is
well to note that in both China and it is the custom
Japan
to shave the heads of young children, leaving a tuft above one
or each ear in the case of and on the of the head in
girls, top
the case of boys.
These are of interest in the
particulars examining figures
on mandarin us to much that otherwise
pieces, guiding it
would be difficult to understand or account for. By their aid
we can tell whether it is a summer or a winter scene from the
men's The ladies' of shows whether
caps. style hair-dressing
they are married or single, etc. It is seldom that the painting-
is so carefully done as to show the exact rank of the mandarin
in question, but the following, taken from Mrs. Bury Palliser's
English edition of Jacquemart (p. 94), may be of interest
"
to the reader. It is similar to that given in the Middle
"
Kingdom but c*oes rather more into detail.
"
In changing the costume it was necessary to create emblems
fitted to characterize the different orders of functionaries.
—
They are these
" with a button of worked ornamented
Cap, gold,
First order :
with a bead, and surmounted by an oblong button of transparent
ruby red. Violet coat, with a square plaque on the breast, and
another on the back, in which is embroidered the of a
figure