Page 351 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

MONOCHROMATIC WARES

could possess brilliancy only when applied in a very

thin layer." But in truth this Fan-hung red was
altogether a different matter from the Chi-hung, being
in fact an enamel laid over the glaze, fixed at the low
temperature of the enamelling oven, and not possess-

ing any brilliancy in the sense conveyed by the term

as applied to a monochromatic glaze. An opaque

coral colour, fine enough in its way, but not for an

instant comparable to the Chi-hung red, was all that

the best potter could obtain with the peroxide of iron.

If, then, the keramist of the Ming dynasty ceased to
be able to work with any other red colouring matter

after the year 1522, it might be concluded that red
monochromes of the clear, brilliant type were not
produced from that time. Such a conclusion would

be exaggerated. During the eras of Lung-ching

(15671572) and Wan-li (1573 1619) Chi-hung

glazes were still manufactured, though they are said
to have fallen far short of their Hsuan-te and Ching-ti

predecessors. Thus, in the year 1571 the fifth of

the Lung-ching era it is on record that a Censor

memorialised the Throne to permit the substitution

of Fan-hung for Hsien-hung (rouge vif) in the wares

for imperial use, so as to avoid distressing the manu-

facturers who were required to supply porcelains for

the palace. Probably owing in part to this remon-
strance, which must itself have had its origin in a
marked deterioration of expert ability, the list of

porcelains requisitioned for imperial use in that year

contained the item : " Rice-bowls and saucers of the

vermilion red prepared from iron oxide instead of the

bright copper red." Indeed, with the exception of

special artists like the renowned Hao Shi-chu (1573

1619), whose cups are said to have been brilliant as

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