Page 439 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

PAINTED IN COLOURS OVER THE GLAZE. 237

the resemble in Sometimes the
perforations shape. piercing
takes the form of leaves and flowers ; even figures of dragons
and other animals are to be met with. This ware is to be had
both in white and Until held to the
polychrome. up light it
looks like but when between the
ordinary porcelain, placed
eye and the light, the translucent pattern becomes visible.
This class is more curious than beautiful.
No. -±07. Translucent inches
porcelain bowl. Diameter, 7^ ;
height, 2 J inches. Mark, seal, Keen-lung, 1736-1795. This
piece has a bluish-greenish tinge, and the glaze seems to be
somewhat of a celadon nature. The decoration consists of
flowers and butterflies in various colours, which, when held to
the are translucent, with the of those at the
light, exception
bottom of the bowl.
No. 408 shows the as seen with the
pattern light shining
through the piercings.
Siam Ware.
So called because to be made in Siam, but there
supposed
is every reason to believe it was specially manufactured and
decorated in China for the Siamese market. It is almost
ornamented with Buddhist the
invariably figures, colouring
red or black relieved
being very bright, generally grounds
and are intermixed.
with white, while blue, green, yellow largely
Nos. 409, 410, 411, three rice bowls with covers, will
give the reader a very fair idea of the general appearance of
this ware. The two seen on the bowls are said to be
figures
those of Tephanon and Norasing, Buddhist divinities, who are
represented as surrounded with clouds.
Nearly everything Siamese is decorated with the elephant,
those of white colour considered sacred ; and it is rather
being
odd that this animal does not on these but its
appear cups,
absence may be a proof of their Chinese origin.
"
Davis, vol. ii. p. 76 : The mother of Budha is said to
have dreamed that she had swallowed an elephant, whence
the veneration for in Siam and Pegu."
elephants
Porcelain with Foreign Designs.
It seems to have been a usual custom the
very during
eighteenth century to give orders for china to be decorated
Q 3