Page 382 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

218 CHINESE PORCELAIN.

Quasi-Eggshell.
Nos. 360, 361. Pair of bowls of fine porcelain. Diameter,
5f inches ; height, 2| inches. Mark, Kang-he (1661-1722).
Two five-clawed dragons are stamped in the paste of these
bowls, one on each side, bnt can only be seen by getting the
in a They are decorated with roses in
piece particular light.
and in
bine, purple, yellow enamel, the foliage being green
enamel. On one side the roses are double, and on the other
single ; a spray on each side with a butterfly between.
These bowls are called eggshell by the Chinese, and as
they vary in weight, the lighter are considered the most
valuable. They probably belong to the beginning of the
and be taken as of
eighteenth century, may early specimens
a class which Avas at its best towards the end of that century.
The on these bowls is in that when held so
glaze peculiar,
that the sunlight falls in a certain way, it reflects rainbow tints.
Eggshell.
In Nos. 362, 363, we have a further step towards the
celebrated eggshell plates of the next reign. It will be
noticed that the date-marks are in the plain character, the
seal method of marking not yet having come into vogue.
With the exception of the piece mentioned in page 217, this is
the earliest mark found on eggshell ; but as time went on it
does not seem to have been the custom to mark eggshell pieces,
and in fact these with the Yung-ching mark are very rare.
No. 362. Kuby-backed quasi-eggshell dish. Diameter, 6 J
inches inch. in
; height, If Mark, Yung-ching (1723-1736)
blue. The characters, it will be noticed, are arranged in three
columns instead of two, as is usually the case. This piece is
much more highly decorated than the other, and is most
delicately painted in bright shades of pink, blue, and other
colours. Enclosed in six borders are a basket of flowers, and
a stand with citrons (finger citrons, called Buddha's fingers),
" the hand of Fo " Here we have the same
(see p. 109). perfect
painting that appears on the later plates. All that is wanted
is to reduce the substance of the to arrive at the
porcelain
faultless as we know it.
eggshell plate
Xu. 363. dish.
Ruby-backed eggshell Diameter, 5| inches;
height, 1 \ inch. Mark, rung-ching (1728-1736) in blue. The