Page 442 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

his cachet he seems to have imitated the caligraphy of Chun
Ta-ctiwan, but his writing is bad though his carving is

delicate.

Chan Sin-hiang copied the works of his predecessors Shi
and Li, and though he followed his models with great fidel-
ity, evidences of an imitator's hand are discernible. His

productions are remarkable for strength and boldness rather

than for delicacy, but they all show talent of no common
order. The success which he achieved proved his ruin, for

he became over-bearing, drank deeply, and courted the soci-

ety of men above his station. The consequence was that

his later works lacked carefulness. Occasionally he selected

pieces manufactured by his pupils and put his own cachet on

them.

Min Lu-shang was renowned for his reproductions of
Hecelebrated masterpieces.
seems to have sacrificed origi-

nality to reverence.

Chan Kwang-fu confined himself to studying the works

of Kung-chun and Shi Ta-pin. Unfortunately he lost the

sight of one eye, and this calamity is more or less evidenced

by a want of fineness in his productions.

Chan Chung, a native of Wu-yuen, and originally a manu-

facturer of porcelain at Ching-te-chen. Finding it hopeless

to look for distinction in a branch of the keramic art already

numbering so many devotees, he abandoned porcelain and

turned his attention to pottery. His ingenuity was remark-

able. Many of the pieces he designed, as perfume-boxes,

flower-vases, paper-weights, and so forth, show singularly

fine moulding and chiselling. His vases were shaped in the

form of flowers, leaves, and fruits and were decorated with

insects. His dragons sporting among storm-clouds, with

out-stretched claws and straining eyes ; his statuettes of the

goddess Kuan-yin, her features at once majestic and benevo-
lent these are indeed wonderful productions, instinct with
life. His genius almost equalled that of Lung Mien tao-tsz,
but unfortunately he overworked himself and died young.

Chan Chiun-yung, surnamed Se-liang, derived his inspira-

tion from the works of Chung-mei, whom he almost matched

in skill and elegance. In style his pieces resemble those of

Ngeu Ching-chun. He used no measuring instrument when

360