To acknowledge individually all the kind attentions I have received from those in charge of the various museums would make a long story. They will perhaps forgive me if I thank them collectively. The private collectors to whom I must express my gratitude are scarcely less numerous. They have given me every facility for the study of their collections, and in many cases, as will be seen in tile list of plates, they have freely assisted with the illustrations. I am specially indebted to Mr. Eumorfopoulos, Mr. Alexander, Mr. R. H. Benson, Mr. S. T. Peters, and Mr. C. L. Freer, who have done so much for the study of the early wares in England and America. Without the unstinted help of these enthusiastic collectors it would have been impossible to produce the first volume of this book. What I owe to Mr. Eumorfopoulos can be partly guessed from the list of plates. His collection is an education in itself, and he has allowed me to draw freely on it and on his own wide experience. Of the many other collectors who have similarly assisted in various parts of the work, I have to thank Sir Hercules Read, Mr. S. E. Kennedy, Dr. A. E. Cumberbatch, Mr. C. L. Rothenstein, Dr. Breuer, Dr. C. Seligmann, M. R. Koechlin, Mr. O. Raphael, Mr. A. E. Hippisley, Hon. Evan Charteris, Lady Wantage, Mr. Burdett-Coutts, the late Dr. A. Fischer, Mr. L. C. Messel, Mr. W. Burton, Col. Goff, Mrs. Halsey, Mrs. Havemeyer, Rev. G. A. Schneider, and Mrs. Coltart. A portion of the proofs has been read by Mr. W. Burton. Mr. L. C. Hopkins has given me frequent help with Chinese texts, and especially in the reading of seal characters; and my colleague, Dr. Lionel Giles, in addition to invaluable assistance with the translations, has consented to look through the proofs of these volumes with a special view to errors in the Chinese characters. Finally, I have to thank my chief, Sir Hercules Read, not only for all possible facilities in the British Museum, but for his sympathetic guidance in the study of a subject of which he has long been a master. R. L. HOBSON. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 1: In the _Kuei ch´ien chih_ quoted in the _T´ao lu_, bk. ix., fol. 10.] [Footnote 2: See p. 95.] [Footnote 3: See p. 99.] [Footnote 4: In the _Ai jih t´ang ch´ao_, quoted in the _T´ao lu_, bk. ix., fol. 18 verso.] [Footnote 5: The _pi sê_, or "secret colour," is used as a general term for glazes of the celadon type, among which the writer in question includes all the celebrated wares of antiquity from the T´ang "green (_ts´ui_) of a thousand hills," the Yüeh ware, the Ch´ai "blue (_ch´ing_) of the sky after rain," to the Sung Ju, Kuan, Ko, Tung-ch´ing, and Lung-ch´üan wares.] BIBLIOGRAPHY ANDERSON, W., Catalogue of the Japanese and Chinese Paintings in the British Museum. 1886. BINYON, L., "Painting in the Far East." BRETSCHNEIDER, E., "Mediæval Researches from Eastern Asiatic Sources," Truebner's Oriental Series. 1878.