Page 311 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly
P. 311
PORCELAIN DECORATED
about the place of the ware's origin, collateral evi-
dence shows that they have kept tolerably accurate
records of the dates when it came to their country.
It need scarcely be said that the specimens of this
highly decorative ware familiar to Western collectors
belong to later periods than the curious little kogo so
much treasured in Japan. These large brilliant,
though somewhat crudely finished pieces date chiefly
from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, though
several are undoubtedly as old as the Wan-li (1573)
or even the Chia-tsing (1522) era of the Ming dynasty.
The difference between specimens from the factories
of these eras and those from the Kang-hsi kilns is
scarcely appreciable. The glazes of both are equally
pure, lustrous, and brilliant, and their pate equally hard.
In general technique, however, the advantage is with
the Kang-hsi ware. In proportion as later periods
are reached, the biscuit becomes soft and friable, and
the enamels lose their glossiness and depth.
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