Page 365 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

MONOCHROMATIC WARES

and its use implies that in the eyes of Chinese
connoisseurs the presence of green constitutes a dis-

tinguishing feature of the glaze, though Western
collectors generally class it with red monochromes.
In America this beautiful porcelain has received the

name of " Peach bloom," a happy appellation, for
the most prized specimens may be best compared to

the colour of a peach's rind before the contrast of
velvet green and glowing but delicate red has been

impaired by the yellow of ripeness. It does not
"
appear, however, that in choosing the term peach

bloom" American connoisseurs gave any thought to

the presence of green in the glaze. They were

inspired solely by the resemblance between the sur-

face red and the rich bloom of a peach, and in

descriptive catalogues choice specimens are extolled

entirely for the tone and uniformity of their mono-

chromatic red as though the intrusion of any other

colour would be a blemish. The Chinese expert, on

the contrary, regards the presence of green as essen-

tial, and places first among all coloured glazes of

Ching-te-chen specimens of Pin-k<wo-ts' ing on which

the delicate glowing red is broken by broad fields of

Notender velvety green. distinct varieties of the

ware are recognised in China, but for purposes of

descriptive convenience three principal types may be

noted : first, a pure red monochrome secondly, red
;

mottled with white and thirdly, red in combination
;

bwiltohomgr"eeonf. The first type is the celebrated " Peach
There are various
American collectors.

tones of this red, from the full, warm blush of a ripe

apple to a very light flesh colour. All are beautiful

and highly valued. The second type is the so-called

" crushed strawberry." Its white dappling or cloud-

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