Page 520 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly
P. 520
MARKS AND SEALS
is thus represented by cycles, and was seldom used by any potters
before the seventeenth century.
* if each cycle were accompanied Consequently, this mark, No. 3,
a number representing its must be regarded as a mere
by ornament.
place in the long series, the cor- 4. Ordinary form of No. 3. This
mark is found on some old speci-
responding date could be fixed mens of blue-and-white porcelain
in Japanese collections, but it
certainly. But there is no such
=must be regarded as a forgery.
aid in the case of porcelain marks.
5. Ta-Sung Yuan-fting nien chih
What the cyclical indication made in the Yuan-fung period of
the Great Sung (1078-1086 A.D.).
shows is merely the year of the This mark, like No. 4, is found
on some archaic specimens of
cycle itself. Thus, when a date blue-and-white porcelain in Japan-
is given, as " elder earth of tiger
" ese collections.
year," or water of bird
younger Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.).
year," nothing can be inferred ex- =6. Hung-wu nien chih made in the
cept that the reference is to the Hung-wti era (1368-1398). This
era belongs to the Ming dynasty,
1 5th and loth years respectively but the mark is not found with
of a certain sixty-year period. the prefatory ideographs Ta-
Cyclical dates occur very rarely Ming.
on porcelain, and when they do =7. Yung-lo nien chih made in the
occur, their intelligibility depends Yung-lo era (1403-1425). This
on collateral indications furnished era also is seldom found in con-
by the ware itself. The following junction with the mark of the
two examples are taken from dynasty ( Ta-Ming).
the " Catalogue " of the late Mr. 8. Another form of No. 7. This form
Franks : Liang-hi sho = =is nearly always found in relief.
1. VVo-shin nien
9. Ta-Ming Hsuan-te nien chih trade
painted by Liang-ki in the year of in the Hsuan-te era of the Great
the " elder earth of the hare "
Ming (1426-1435).
; 10. The seal form of No. 9. The use
i.e., the 5th year of a cycle, which, of the seal character in the Hsuan-
from the quality of the piece, Mr.
=te era was exceptional.
Franks identifies as the 75th
11. Ta-Ming Cheng-hiva nien chik
cycle. Taking 2637 B. C. as the made in the Cheng-hwa era of
basic year, the 75th sexagenary =the Great Ming (1465-1487).
cycle began in the year 1803, and 12. Cheng-hiva nien chih same as
No. 6, without the ideographs
its fifth year corresponds with
Ta-Ming.
1808.
13. The seal form of No. 12. This
=2. Yu sin-chou nien chih made in
=form is seldom genuine.
the year of the recurring younger
14. Ta-Ming Hung-chih nien chih
metal of the ox /.<?., the 38th made in the Hung-chih era of the
; Great Ming (1488-1505).
year of the cycle. The qualifier 15. Ta-Ming Chng-te nien chih made
"" in refer-
is arbitrarily in the Cheng-te era of the Great
recurring
=Ming (1502-1521).
ence to the fact that this year oc-
16. 7^a-Ming Chia-tsing nien chih
curred twice in the long reign of
made in the Chia-tsing era of the
Kang-hsi. Hence it can be fixed
=Great Ming (1522-1566).
as the year 1721.
17. Ta-Ming Lung-ching nien chih
YEAR-PERIOD MARKS. made in t\\&Lung-cJitngera.oi the
Great Ming (1567-1572).
Sung Dynasty (960-1279 A. D.).
=3. Ta-Sung Ching-te nien chih made
in the Ching-t period of the
Great Sung (1004-1007). The
first use of a year-mark on por-
celain is attributed to the Em-
peror Chin-tsung. in whose reign
the Ching-te-chen factory was
established. The mark here given
is the seal-character form, which
