Page 362 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

the Chi-hung monochromes of the Ming dynasty in-
cluded two equally beautiful and admirable glazes,

rouge i^and ruby-red. But, curiously enough, from

the commencement of the Kang-hsi era the term Chi-
hung came to be applied to reds in general, exclusive

of varieties distinguished by special names, as the

Lang-yao. Many Chi-hung pieces of the Tsing dy-

nasty are highly attractive and charming, and their
reproduction seems to be as far beyond the strength
of modern potters as is the imitation of the Lang-yao.
But Chinese connoisseurs place this later Chi-hung in
a distinctly lower rank, and they are undoubtedly right
in doing so. For the Chi-hung glaze of the Tsing
factories cannot vie either with the Lang-yao in rich-
ness or brilliancy, or with other monochromes, to be
presently mentioned, in delicacy and purity. In fact

the distinguishing feature of the Chi-hungy as com-

pared with the Lang-yao, is a certain duskiness or
muddiness of tone : the colour, though often very
beautiful and esthetic, lacks the depth and gleam of
Sang de bceuf. It should be premised, however, that

in the Chi-hung also there are many grades, and that,

like the Lang-yao, no two specimens are absolutely

identical in tone. The typical Chi-hung of the Chien-
lung era for it does not appear to have been much

manufactured by the Kang-hsi experts is dark red
of subdued shade, the tone quite uniform throughout,
but the whole surface microscopically dappled, show-

ing that the colour was applied by insufflation. The

pate is close and fine, the edges are well finished, and
the inner and under surfaces are coated with white

glaze. There is no crackle anywhere, and a year-
mark in seal character is often found in blue under

the glaze. Porcelain of this quality was evidently

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