The Chinese used as a rule light colours in their enamel grounds: light turquoise blue, light olive green, or a bright yellow ground; the latter colour was mostly used in the painted enamels of the Thsing dynasty, yellow being the national colour of this dynasty. The general type of the design is made up of such things as a very crooked tree or branch, decorated with large clusters of flowers and foliage, slightly conventional in drawing; sometimes with birds and butterflies, or with dragons; some vases have one large dragon occupying the greater part of the field. The colouring is generally very bright, the ground light and brilliant; the flowers may be red, deep blue, pansy-violet, golden yellow, or white. The foliage is usually of a crude emerald green type. Borders of conventional cloud forms or other geometric forms surround the panels, or form belts to the fields of the ornamental compositions. Religious vases, altar furniture, perfume-burners, candlesticks, lamps, screens, and table-tops are some of the articles in Chinese enamels made invariably in the Cloisonné manner. The Chinese also make a species of enamel that has no metal foundation, which consists of a cloisonnage of network in which the enamel is skilfully fused between the divisions, and is of a semi-translucent character. Japanese enamels are more modern than the Chinese, old pieces of Japanese being extremely rare. The enamels of Japan are darker in the ground colour than the Chinese, being generally of a dark olive green, or of a warm neutral grey tint. Some very large vases, braziers, and large dishes are made by the Japanese. These wonderful people are extremely clever in the use of the enamellers’ lamp and the blowpipe, for the purpose of fusing the enamel in sections, as the large pieces they made could not possibly be fired entire. The Chinese excel in the painting of enamels, but the Japanese do not seem to cultivate this art to any great extent. Indian enamels are characterized by their extreme brilliance and splendour of colouring, in which qualities they excel the enamels of all other countries. The native enamellers work in the translucent, Cloisonné, and Champlevé processes, and the methods and secrets of their craft are kept in their families. Greens of the peacock and emerald hues, coral and ruby reds, torquoise and sapphire blues are the favourite Indian enamel colours. [Illustration: Fig. 107.—Necklace; Punjaub. (B.)] The celebrated Jaipur enamels are of the Champlevé kind. In Cashmere and in the Punjaub jewellery is made of gemmed gold and enamels (Fig 107). The Queen and the Prince of Wales possess many articles that are masterpieces of Indian enamelling. The Haka stand lent by the Queen to the Indian Museum is a splendid specimen of translucent painted enamel in green and blue, of the Mongol period (Fig. 108). [Illustration: Fig. 108.—Enamelled Haka Stand; Mongol Period. (B.)]