Page 361 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

MONOCHROMATIC WARES

ondly, green craquele, and thirdly, light brown (the
colour known in China as " sesamum-soy," or Chih-
ma-chiang}. Some connoisseurs take these glazes as

evidence of grade, asserting that the green is asso-

ciated with the best types of Lang-yao, the sesamum-

soy with the second quality, and the white with the

No Onthird.
such distinction really exists. the

contrary, the fourth, or salmon-coloured, variety of

Lang-yao, as classed above, constantly has green

craquele glaze on its interior and under surface, while

the variety placed first, and unquestionably most

esteemed, usually has white or bluff glaze in these

places.

True Lang-yao has no marks of factory or period.

This does not appear to have been always the case

with the Chi-hung pieces of the Ming dynasty. One

of the specimens depicted in H'siang's Catalogue has

the mark of the Hsuan-te era engraved in the pate.
Although no record is yet forthcoming as to the

time when the Lang potters ceased to work, the in-
dications furnished by their ware itself go to show

that it was not manufactured after the close of the

Kang-hslj or perhaps of the Tung-ching era (1736).
It is not possible, of course, to speak with certainty
on this point, but Chinese connoisseurs also indorse
the above view.

The Lang-yao is not by any means the only red
monochrome that does credit to the potters of the

reigning dynasty. It will be seen presently that other
and even choicer varieties were produced. Here,
however, it is convenient to speak of inferior reds

which are constantly mistaken by amateurs for gen-
uine Lang-yao. These are the Tsing representatives
of the Ming Chi-hung. It has been shown above that

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