At a very early period the Chinese attained to that wonderful mastery of the secrets of color which made them the envy of the artists of all subsequent time, and has led to the adoption of certain of their colors as universal standards of beauty and excellence. Combined with the certainty of their operations in crackle, their skill in color led to many remarkable effects in wares, the precise nature of which cannot be defined. Upon a rich golden crackle, white-and-blue figures are occasionally imposed (Fig. 73). In some cases the enamels used for this super-ornamentation are so transparent that the cracks can be seen through them. Possibly the most curious kind is that in which the vase is encircled by bands of crackle, some coarse and irregular, alternating with others fine and regular, and divided by stamped zones of brown ferruginous paste. Both Japanese and Chinese place a very high value upon the ancient specimens, the priority in point of time being accorded to the light blue. Besides the colors already mentioned, turquoise-blue, yellow, and a bright red are found upon crackle, to the first of which a special value is attached. The fine crackle, called by the French _truité_, is most frequently applied to vases of pale and olive-green not otherwise decorated. One cannot look at the exquisite coloring of some of the rare old pieces, without being led to the conclusion that the Chinese placed a value upon their ceramic productions not more than commensurate with the artistic skill developed among them. [Illustration: Fig. 73.--Crackle Vase, with Crabs in Blue. 7 in. high. (J. C. Rankle Coll.)] [Illustration: Fig. 74.--Chinese Porcelain Lantern. (S. P. Avery Coll.)] PORCELAIN. When Invented.--King-teh-chin.--All Classed as Hard, Exceptions.--Old Porcelains.--Kouan-ki.--Blue-and-white.--Persian Styles.--Turquoise and other Blues.--Leading Events of Ming Dynasty.--Egg-shell.--Tai-thsing Dynasty.--Mandarin Vases.--Families.--Old White.--Jade.--Purple and Violet.--Liver Red.--Imperial Yellow.--Chinese Ideas of Painting.--Soufflé.--Grains of Rice.--Articulated and Reticulated Vases.--Cup of Tantalus.