Page 441 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINESE POTTERY

the lad Sit. In the course of conversation, the father asked

Ta-pin to mould an ox, but Ta-pin hesitated to comply, and

laid aside the clay which had been offered to him. The lad

Sit, taking this clay, went out of the house, and as chance

willed, the first thing he saw was an ox in the act of rising

from the place where he had been sleeping under a tree.

One of the animal's legs was still bent, and Sit, watching it

attentively, conceived the idea of reproducing its attitude in

the clay which he carried. Returning to the potter's house,

he showed the piece to Ta-pin, who said, with evident sur-
"Aprise :
man of your genius would soon surpass me in

my own art." Thenceforth Sit applied himself to pottery.
He struck out a style of his own, and varied the composi-

tion of his pates at will, so as to produce all sorts of charm-
Heing colours.
made special study of the choice works of

ancient keramists, took all sorts of objects for models, and

manufactured many varieties of colour. But despite the

celebrity which he attained, he used often to say with regret

that his best work did not equal the inferior work of Shi Ta-
Hepin.
had a son who also developed great skill as a pot-

ter, and to this day the names of Ta-Su (the elder Su) and

Siao-Sii (the younger Sii) are preserved, though the exact

name of the latter is not known. Shi Ta-pin had four other

pupils, namely ; Ngeu Ching-chun, who excelled in copying

flowers and fruits, his execution being fine and delicate
;

Shao Wan-kin, who followed his teacher's methods exactly ;

Shao Wan-yin, and Tsiang Poh-Kwa. The last was a man

of noble birth, and being averse to associate his family name

with the occupation of potting, he used to write his signa-

ture with the ideograph Kwa instead of fu, which was his

proper signature. His productions showed great force, as

well as delicacy of execution.

Chan Tun-hiang was contemporary with another potter,
HeShi Ting, but was younger and less skilled.
was a

proud, lawless person, and ultimately falling into trouble

with the authorities, was imprisoned. Hence the common

people were wont to speak of him as " Chan the fool." His

dexterity as a potter was, however, remarkable. His forte

lay in the direction of minute work, and the accurate shapes

of his hand-made pieces excited admiration. In inscribing

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