Page 168 - Chinese pottery and porcelain : an account of the potter's art in China from primitive times to the present day

84 Chinese Pottery and Porcelain

rate for a representative of the preceding Ming dynasty, when
porcelain of this colour and thickness was appreciated at Court.

These counterfeit antiques resemble the genuine pieces also in their

want of timbre when struck, and if one holds them to the ear they

produce no reverberation."
The worthy father's acquaintance with the antiques was prob-

ably limited, or he would not have instanced the last quality as

evidence of good imitation. On the contrary, the lack of timbre

would be regarded by Chinese connoisseurs as indication of a spuri-

ous ware, the note of the old porcelains being one of the criteria

of their excellence. But the passage is otherwise most instructive.
It should be remembered, too, that at the time of which

d'Entrecolles speaks, an extensive use was being made at Ching-te
Chen of a beautiful celadon glaze on a fine white porcelain body.

These celadons of the period will be discussed in their proper place,

as they make no pretence of antiquity and are easily distinguished
by their pure white body and pale soft green glaze. Indeed, they

often have the ordinary white glaze under the base and a period
mark in blue.

Another factory which made free use of the celadon glaze was
that of Yang Chiang, province of Kuangtung. As a rule, the
ware is recognisable by its reddish brown stoneware body, but
in cases where the biscuit is lighter in colour and more porcellanous

in texture, confusion may easily arise.

Nor must we forget the extensive manufacture of celadons
outside China itself. The Corean wares have already been men-
tioned. As a rule, their soft velvety glaze is recognised by its
peculiar bluish grey tone, difficult to describe but easy to remember
when once seen. The colour, however, varies to distinctly greener
and browner shades, which are liable to be confused with Chinese
celadons of the Lung-ch'iian and northern types. Fortunately,

most, though not all, of the Corean decorations are very character-
istic, particularly the delicate inlaid designs ^ in white and black
clays ; and the finish of the ware underneath is usually distinctive,
a very low foot rim, the base slightly convex, and the disfiguring
presence of the sand, which in three little piles supported the ware

in the kiln.

1 The only example -which I have seen of an inlaid celadon which might be taken
for Chinese is a dish in the Stiibel Collection in the Kunstgewerbe Museum, Dresden.
It has a faint design, apparently inlaid, in a brownish colour.