Chinese pottery and porcelain; vol. 2. Ming and Ch'ing PorcelainHobson, R. L. (Robert Lockhart)
History
Chinese pottery and porcelain; vol. 2. Ming and Ch'ing Porcelain
Hobson, R. L. (Robert Lockhart)
Porcelain, Chinese; Pottery, Chinese
The precise nature of the Sung _mi sê_ which is included among the Ko
yao, Chün yao and Hsiang-hu wares reproduced by the Yung Chêng potters
according to the Imperial list is a little doubtful. Possibly one type
was illustrated by the “shallow bowl with spout: grey stoneware with
opaque glaze of pale sulphur yellow,” which Mr. Alexander exhibited at
the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1910.[416] Another is indicated in the
Pierpont Morgan collection[417] in a “shallow bowl with greenish
yellow crackled glaze,” apparently of the type found occasionally in
Borneo, where such wares are still treasured by the Dyaks. The vase in
the Victoria and Albert Museum which is figured by Monkhouse (op. cit.,
Fig. 22) as a specimen of old _mi sê_, appears for reasons already
given[418] to be a Yung Chêng reproduction of this type. The “mustard
yellow” which Bushell included under the description _mi sê_ is an
opaque crackled enamel which can hardly have originated before the Yung
Chêng period, and it is possible that it resulted from an attempt to
reproduce the old Sung _mi sê_ crackle.
The following list of the decorations used at the Imperial factory was
compiled by Hsieh Min, the governor of the province of Kiangsi from
1729 to 1734.[419] It was translated by Bushell in his _Oriental
Ceramic Art_; but reference has been made to it so often in these
pages, and its importance is so obvious, that no apology is necessary
for giving it in full. The following version is taken from the
_Chiang hsi t’ung chih_, bk. 93, fols. 11 to 13, and in most cases
Bushell’s rendering has been followed:--
1. Glazes of the Ta Kuan period (i.e. Sung Kuan yao) on an
“iron” body, including moon white (_yüeh pai_), pale blue
or green (_fên ch’ing_) and deep green (_ta lü_).**
2. Ko glaze on an “iron” body, including millet colour (_mi
sê_) and _fên ch’ing_.**
3. Ju glaze without crackle on a “copper” body: the glaze
colours copied from a cat’s food basin of the Sung dynasty, and
a dish for washing brushes moulded with a human face.
4. Ju glaze with fish-roe crackle on a “copper” body.**
5. White Ting glaze. Only the _fên Ting_ was copied, and
not the _t’u Ting_.
6. Chün glazes. Nine varieties are given, of which five were
copied from old palace pieces and four from newly acquired
specimens; see p. 000.
7. Reproductions of the _chi hung_ red of the Hsüan Té
period: including fresh red (_hsien hung_) and ruby red
(_pao shih hung_).
8. Reproductions of the deep violet blue (_chi ch’ing_) of
the Hsüan Tê period. This glaze is deep and reddish (_nêng
hung_), and has orange peel markings and palm eyes.
9. Reproductions of the glazes of the Imperial factory:
including eel yellow (_shan yü huang_), snake-skin green
(_shê p’i lü_), and spotted yellow (_huang pan tien_).
10. Lung-ch’üan glazes: including pale and dark shades.
11. Tung-ch’ing glazes: including pale and dark, shades.
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