Page 396 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

222 CHINESE PORCELAIN.

grow until the lad is some six or eight years old, the whole
head shaven. The cause of this is some-
being regularly delay
times said to be the death of his father or mother when it was
decided to let one or both of these grow. Sometimes in the
case of him who is the only son of his parents, and born long
after their marriage, they vow to give him up to be the child
of some idol, or to be a Buddhist priest. They will not then
let the hair grow on his pate until six or eight years old.
Their in this vow, and in their
object making treating dearly
beloved son in this is to health and longe-
way, procure good
vity to the lad. They apply various sorts of derogatory names
or to him, as ' Buddhist ' ' refuse,'
epithets priest,' beggar,'
' that he will thus be allowed to live, and that
dirt,' imagining
no evil or influence will his health.
spirit injure By-and-by,
when he seems to be established in health, they allow his hair
to grow like other boys."
"Middle Kingdom," vol. ii. p. 34: "The head-dress of
married females is and even In the front
becoming, elegant.
knot, a tube is often inserted, in which a sprig or bunch of
flowers can be The custom of natural flowers
placed. wearing
in the hair is common in the southern
quite provinces, espe-
when dressed for a visit. The women in Pekin
cially supply
the want of natural artificial flowers."
by
No. 373. Eggshell plate. Diameter, 8 J inches ; height, If
inch. back and front the centre at back.
Purple except
Decoration, five white reserves filled with flowers, cock stand-
ing on a blue rock in the middle one ; four light pink chrysan-
themums between the four side reserves.
These ten specimens only in part serve to illustrate the
variety to be met with in this class. Towards the end of the
eighteenth century, eggshell dessert services seem to have
been much used, and by no means very costly. The fruit
dishes appear to have been of the same shape as the plates,
only larger, viz. twelve inches in diameter. The colouring at
back varies in shade from Some of these
purple to rose. egg-
shell are decorated in
plates entirely gilt and Indian ink.
No. 374. lantern with
Hexagon eggshell pierced panels.
No mark. The framework is in the work
pink, open being-
left uncoloured, with a small circular reserve in the centre
decorated with and
figures landscape. It will be noticed that