CHINA
MONOCHROMATIC GLAZES
requisitioned for Imperial use in the year 1529 the following occur under the head of “ White Porce- lainy3ii==
Rice Bowls with crested sea-waves faintly engraved under the glaze.
Wine Cups and Libation Cups with engraved phcenixes and cranes.
Tea Cups of oval section with foliated rim.
Tea Cups with dragons engraved under the glaze.
Wine Cups of pure white enamel.
Wine Pots of vase form with spouts, of pure white.
Dishes of pure white.
Wine Vessels of oval form with crested sea-waves faintly engraved under the white glaze.
There is nothing in the text to show whether these pieces had hard or soft paste, and the same looseness of phraseology disfigures the Tao-/u’s classifications. It is pretty certain, however, that from the Lung-/ era downwards pure white porcelain vessels, such as tice-bowls, wine-cups, tea-cups, and so forth, were chiefly of the hard-paste variety. The delicate To- tat-ki and the feather-like cups of the great Wan-h expert Hao Shi-chiu, belonged to this category, although, as has been seen, Hao devoted much of his skill to reproductions of Sung Ting-yao also. The wave-pattern spoken of in the Imperial Requisition quoted above was a favourite design for incised deco- ration on hard-paste ware. The lines of the waves were engraved as fine as silk, and the effect of curling crests was obtained very happily. These Mizmg manu- factures did not show a strikingly lustrous surface. Smooth, polished, and highly finished, they were nevertheless without the unctuous gloss so highly esteemed in wares of a more solid character. In
265
265
