There is, however, another group materially different from the ordinary blue glazes. In this the colour was applied direct to the body, as in blue and white painting, and a colourless glaze subsequently added, with the natural result that the blue seems to be incorporated with the body of the ware rather than with the glaze. There were several ways of applying the colour, each producing a slightly different effect. The cobalt powder could be mixed with water, and washed on smoothly with a brush, or dabbed on with a sponge to give a marbled appearance, or it could be projected on to the moistened surface in a dry powder, through gauze stretched across the end of a bamboo tube. The result of the last process was an infinity of minute specks of blue, a massing of innumerable points of colour. This is the well-known “powder blue,” the _bleu soufflé_, or blown blue described by Père d’Entrecolles in his second letter[331]: “As for the _soufflé_ blue called _tsoui tsim_ (_ch’ui ch’ing_), the finest blue, prepared in the manner which I have described, is used. This is blown on to the vase, and when it is dry the ordinary glaze is applied either alone or mixed with _tsoui yeou_ (_sui yu_), if crackle[332] is required.” We are further told that as on the blue and white a glaze softened with a considerable proportion of lime was necessary for the perfection of the colour. The “powder blue” seems to have been a new invention in the K’ang Hsi period. Under the name of _ch’ui ch’ing_ (blown blue) it figures in the _T’ao lu_[333] among the triumphs of Ts’ang Ying-hsüan’s directorate. It is certainly a singularly beautiful colour effect, and worthy of the homage it has received from collectors and ceramic historians. Though the blue used was as a rule of the finest quality, it varied much in intensity and tone with the nature of the cobalt and amount applied. Probably the majority of collectors would give the palm to the darker shades, but tastes differ, and the lighter tones when the blue is pure sapphire have found whole-hearted admirers. A notable feature of the powder blue is its surprising brilliancy in artificial light, when most other porcelain colours suffer eclipse. [Illustration: PLATE 110 Two examples of “Powder Blue” (_ch’ui ch’ing_) Porcelain of the K’ang Hsi period (1662–1722), in the Victoria and Albert Museum Fig. 1.--Bottle of gourd shape with slender neck: powder blue ground with gilt designs from the Hundred Antiques (_po ku_) and borders of _ju-i_ pattern, formal flowers and plantain leaves. Height 7½ inches. Fig. 2.--Bottle-shaped Vase with _famille verte_ panels of rockwork and flowers reserved in a powder blue ground. Height 7 inches. _Salting Collection._]