Page 161 - Chinese pottery and porcelain : an account of the potter's art in China from primitive times to the present day

Lung-ch'iian yao 79

decoration was a beautiful freehand carving executed with admir-
able spirit and taste, in those bold, half naturalistic, half idealised
sketches which distinguish the art of the time. Complex ornament,
such as landscape and figure subjects, is occasionally found on old
celadons ; and there is one kind of bowl of rounded form with rather
high narrow foot which is decorated inside with groups of figures

carved or impressed in intaglio, the subjects being the eight Taoist
Immortals, or historical personages such as Confucius, the chess-

playing General, etc., usually labelled with their names in Chinese
characters. The glaze on these bowls varies widely in colour and
texture, being sometimes smooth celadon green, sometimes yellowish

or brownish green or again a pale apple green with crackled surface
;

and it is possible that they come from some district other than

Lung-ch'iian.^

The Lung-ch'iian celadon glaze is singularly beautiful with its soft,
smooth translucent texture and restful tints, which vary from olive
green through grass green and sea green to pale greenish grey,
occasionally showing a decidedly bluish tone. The ware has enjoyed
immense popularity in almost every part of the world for untold
years, and nowhere more than in Japan, where choice specimens have
always been highly valued, and it is not a little surprising to find that
in this country alone its merits are underestimated. The Chinese
themselves have been always loud in their praises of the finer
varieties, though they have not always spoken in complimentary
terms of the thick and massive types which were so suitable for
the export trade. Of these the Ch'ing pi is^ang observes that they
readily withstand usage and handling, and do not easily break ; but
the workmanship is somewhat clumsy, and the designs are lacking
in antique elegance. With the finer examples \\ithin reach, these
strictures were perhaps only natural ; but there has never been any

doubt of the Chinese appreciation of the celadon glaze, for while
they have never ceased to reproduce it in other factories, it is always
the old Lung-ch'iian ware which serves as their standard and model.

The modern celadon glaze is made by mixing ferruginous clay

with the ordinary feldspathic glaze and adding a pinch of cobalt
(the mineral from which the blue colour is obtained) to give it
the requisite tone - ; and it is certain that the colour of the old

^ Two examples in the Gotha Museum were figured in the Burlington Magazine,

June, 1909, Plate iv.

Tao* See lu, bk. iii., fol. 12 verso. i