Page 428 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

reticulated panels and designs in relief; others with
scroll-pattern in relief on monochromatic ground of
a different colour censers or ornaments in the form

;

of mythical animals, birds, rabbits, fabulous person-

ages, and so forth, all remarkable for the profusion
of bright turquoise, purple, and green enamels used
in their decoration. Such ware, although for the

most part faience, occasionally has genuine porcelain
pate, in which case it must be regarded as a Ching-
te-chen reproduction of the original Shan-si manufac-

ture.

Two other types of faience have been mentioned

in preceding chapters under the headings to which

they belong respectively. They are the Tsu-chou-yao

and the Tu-Ting-yao ; the former easily recognised

by its yellowish glaze and sparse decoration in black

or brown the latter, an imitation of the celebrated
;

Ting-yao of the Sung dynasty. The heavier examples

of the Tu-ting-yao came from the Kwang-tung fac-

tories, to which also is to be attributed another

variety of faience or stone-ware, well known to

Western collectors but often wrongly classed as
" Transmutation Ware." This type of Kivang-yao

owes its attractions entirely to the glaze. The

pate is red and opaque, varying in fineness but never

rising above the level of stone-ware. The glaze, thick

and lustrous, is generally deep blue speckled, flecked

or clouded with white or green. Sometimes, how-

ever, the order of these colours is reversed : green

becomes the prevailing tint, the blue looking out
from beneath it in streaks or spots. In rare cases
there is addition of yellow speckles, and in the choi-
cest examples of all iron red with metallic sheen

presents itself at the lips and shoulders of vases.

35