But without doubt the most insidious of all the fraudulent wares are those which have been redecorated. I do not refer to the clobbered[531] and retouched polychromes or to the powder blue and mirror black on which the gilding has been renewed, but to the devilish ingenuity which takes a piece of lightly decorated K’ang Hsi porcelain, removes the enamelling, and even the whole glaze if the original ornament has been in underglaze blue, and then proceeds to clothe the denuded surface in a new and resplendent garb of rich enamel. Naturally, it is the most sumptuous style of decoration which is affected in these frauds, such as the prunus tree and birds in a ground of black, green, or yellow enamel on the biscuit; and the drawing, execution and colours are often surprisingly good. The enormous value of this type of vase, if successful, repays the expense and trouble involved in the _truquage_; and the connoisseur who looks at the base for guidance is disarmed because that critical part has been undisturbed, and has all the points of a thoroughbred K’ang Hsi piece. If, however, his suspicion has been aroused by something unconvincing in the design or draughtsmanship, he will probably find upon minute examination some indication of the fraud, some trace of the grinding off of the glaze which the enamels have failed to cover, suspicious passages at the edge of the lip where the old and new surfaces join, or traces of blackening here and there which are rarely absent from a refired piece. But if the work is really successful, and no ingenuity or skill is spared to make it so, his suspicions may not be aroused until too late. Frauds of this kind belong to the most costly types, and concern the wealthy buyers. The poorer collectors have to deal with small deceits, the adding of a _famille verte_ border to a bowl or dish, the retouching of defective ornament, the rubbing of modern surfaces to give them fictitious signs of wear, the staining of new wares with tobacco juice, and other devices easily detected by those who are forewarned. Against all these dangers, whether they be from wilful frauds or from innocent imitations, I can only repeat that the collector’s sole defence is experience and a well-trained eye. INDEX Accomplishments, Four, ii. 133, 282, 299 Adams, H., ii. 136 Akahada, i. 123 Alamgir, ii. 13 Alchemy, god of, ii. 288 Alexander Collection, i. 51, 56, 57, 68, 115, 121, 125; ii. 49, 119, 171, 205, 220 Alms bowl, ii. 285 Altar cups, ii. 7, 8, 35, 93 Altar sets, i. 206; ii. 272 Ambassadors of the Tribes of Man, eight, ii. 262, 268, 283 Amida Buddha, ii. 302 Amoy, i. 184, 202; ii. 112 Ancestor worship, ii. 283 Anderson, W., ii. 111, 281, 303 _An hua_ (secret decoration), ii. 6, 8, 17, 37, 52, 56, 63 Animal forms, ii. 159 Animal motives, ii. 292 Annals of Fou-liang, i. 141, 153, 155; ii. 35, 228, 231