Page 181 - Chinese pottery and porcelain : an account of the potter's art in China from primitive times to the present day

Ting yao 95

porcelain collected in books viii. and ix. of the T'ao lu is a story-

narrated in the Yiin shih chai pi fan, illustrating the cleverness

of Chou Tan-ch'iian. Julien ^ has translated it as follows : " One
day he (Chou) embarked on a merchant boat from Kin-tchong
and landed on the right bank of the Kiang. Passing P'i-ling, he

called on T'ang, the President of the Sacrifices {T'ai cliang), and

asked permission to examine at leisure an ancient tripod of Tin»

porcelain 2 which was one of the gems of his collection. With his
hand he took the exact measurements of the vessel ; then he made
an impression of the patterns on the tripod with some paper which

he had hidden in his sleeve, and returned at once to Ching-te Chen.

Six months after he returned and paid a second visit to Mr. T'ang.

Taking from his sleeve a tripod, he said to him, ' Your Excellency

owns a tripod censer of white Ting porcelain. Here is its fellow,

which belongs to me.' T'ang was astounded. He compared it

with the old tripod, which he kept most carefully preserved, and

could find no difference. He tried its feet against those of his
own vessel and exchanged the covers, and found that it matched

with perfect precision. T'ang thereupon asked whence came this
wonderful specimen. ' Some time ago,' answered Chou, ' I asked

your leave to examine your tripod at leisure. I then took all its

measurements with my hand. I assure you that this is a copy

of yours, and that I would not deceive you in the matter.' The

T'^ai ch'ang, realising the truth of this statement, bought for forty

ounces of silver the tripod, which filled him with admiration, and

placed it in his collection beside the original as though it were its

double. In the Wan Li period (1573-1619), Tu-chiu, of Huai-an,

came to Fou-liang. Smitten \vith a deep longing for T'ang's old

censer, he could think of nothing else, and even saw it in his

dreams. One day he went with Kien-yu, the T'ai ch'ang's nephew,

and after much importunity he succeeded in getting from him for

a thousand ounces of silver the imitation made by Chou, and

returned home completely happy."

Other examples of Ting imitations in the late Ming period,

described in the Po wu yao Ian, include " magnolia blossom cups
;

covered censers and barrel-shaped censers with chain-armour pattern,

ball and gate embroidery and tortoise pattern mingled together

in an ornamental ground." But we gather that though these have

1 Julien, op. cit., pp. xxxiii.-xxxv. ; the reference in the T^ao lu is bk. viii., fol. 5.
- Perhaps the celebrated " white Ting censer " described on p. 92.