Page 383 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

MONOCHROMATIC WARES

to the lemon yellow of the Famille Rose porcelains,
the colours of which were first employed towards the
end of the reign of Kang-hsi, either as monochromes

or for painting over the glaze.

PURPLE.

Purple was a favourite colour with Chinese potters

from the tenth century downwards. In two of the

celebrated wares of the Sung dynasty the Ting-yao

and the Chiin-yao purplish glazes occurred. The

purple Ting-yao (Tsu-Ting-yao} is compared some-

times to ripe grapes, sometimes to the skin of the

aubergine (kia-pi\ t while the purple Chiin-yao is

likened to the aubergine flower (kia-hwa} t which is

dusky indigo rather than purple. "InodfeCehdinmaanmyighotf
the so-called " purple
monochromes

be more properly described as dark blue or indigo.

The illustrations in H'siang's Catalogue show that a

true purple did appear in the Ting-yao, as may also

be inferred from the fact that the glaze is compared

to ripe grapes. But the same is not true of the Chiin-

yao. In truth the ideograph tsu, used by the Chinese

to designate purple, has no distinct signification : it

is employed of a colour varying from purple to

. nankeen brown. With some defining addition, as
" "
aubergine purple," or ripe-grape purple," a clear

idea is conveyed, but when a Chinese writer merely

says tsu or hiao-tsu (tsu of light tint), it is impossible

to be quite sure of his meaning. The principal

Chiin-yao glaze was red : it is sometimes spoken of as

Mei-kwei-tsu, or precious-garnet colour. In certain

varieties, however, especially those manufactured by

the Kang-hsi and Tung-ching potters, their appears a

curious dusky indigo more or less permeated with

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