Though little is heard of the coloured Ting wares after the Sung period,[203] the manufacture of white Ting and the commoner t´u ting continued at Ching–tê Chên and elsewhere. In fact, it cannot be said to have suffered intermission up to the present day. A few of these imitative wares of later date were of such excellence as to merit historical notice. In the Yüan dynasty, for instance, P´êng Chün–pao, a goldsmith of Ho Chou, in Shansi,[204] was celebrated for his imitations of old Ting wares, and the Ko ku yao lun, an almost contemporary work, describes his productions as exactly like Ting ware when of fine body,[205] but as being "short" and "brittle," and consequently not really worth much. "But dealers in curiosities give them the name of hsin ting or New Ting, and amateurs collect it at great cost, which is most ridiculous." Again, the Po wu yao lan describes another wonderful imitation of Ting ware made in the sixteenth century[206] by Chou Tan–ch´üan, a native of Wu–mên, who settled at Ching–tê Chên, and was reputed the best potter of his time. Though, generally speaking, his material was not as fine as the original, still his copies of Wên wang censers[207] and sacrificial vessels with "monster heads and halberd ears" so closely resembled the originals that it was only necessary to "rub away the kiln–gloss all over the surface" to make the illusion complete. Among the literary references to pottery and porcelain collected in books viii. and ix. of the T´ao lu is a story narrated in the Yün shih chai pi t´an, illustrating the cleverness of Chou Tan–ch´üan. Julien[208] has translated it as follows: "One day he (Chou) embarked on a merchant boat from Kin–tchong and landed on the right bank of the Kiang. Passing P´i–ling, he called on T´ang, the President of the Sacrifices (T´ai ch´ang), and asked permission to examine at leisure an ancient tripod of Ting porcelain[209] which was one of the gems of his collection. With his hand he took the exact measurements of the vessel; then he made an impression of the patterns on the tripod with some paper which he had hidden in his sleeve, and returned at once to Ching–tê Chên. Six months after he returned and paid a second visit to Mr. T´ang. Taking from his sleeve a tripod, he said to him, 'Your Excellency owns a tripod censer of white Ting porcelain. Here is its fellow, which belongs to me.' T´ang was astounded. He compared it with the old tripod, which he kept most carefully preserved, and could find no difference. He tried its feet against those of his own vessel and exchanged the covers, and found that it matched with perfect precision. T´ang thereupon asked whence came this wonderful specimen. 'Some time ago,' answered Chou, 'I asked your leave to examine your tripod at leisure. I then took all its measurements with my hand. I assure you that this is a copy of yours, and that I would not deceive you in the matter.' The T´ai ch´ang, realising the truth of this statement, bought for forty ounces of silver the tripod, which filled him with admiration, and placed it in his collection beside the original as though it were its double. In the Wan Li period (1573–1619), Tu–chiu, of Huai–an, came to Fou–liang. Smitten with a deep longing for T´ang's old censer, he could think of nothing else, and even saw it in his dreams. One day he went with Kien–yu, the T´ai ch´ang's nephew, and after much importunity he succeeded in getting from him for a thousand ounces of silver the imitation made by Chou, and returned home completely happy."
Other examples of Ting imitations in the late Ming period, described in the Po wu yao lan, include "magnolia blossom cups; covered censers and barrel–shaped censers with chain–armour pattern, ball and gate embroidery and tortoise pattern mingled together in an ornamental ground." But we gather that though these have been confounded with Chou's work they were inferior both in material and workmanship to his early masterpieces.
At any rate, it is certain that besides these conspicuous craftsmen whose names have become historical, there were many nameless potters at Ching–tê Chên who devoted their skill to the imitation of pai ting porcelain in the Ming and Ch´ing dynasties. Very beautiful wares of this class are occasionally seen which have a "slickness" of decoration and a mechanical refinement of finish characteristic of an art which is already crystallised and has lost its freshness and spontaneity. These are, no doubt, the work of later copyists. Indeed, we are expressly told in the T´ao lu[210] that at the end of the eighteenth century there were still potters at Ching–tê Chên who made a specialty of pai ting ch´i or white Ting wares. These, moreover, were makers of curiosities and ornamental wares (wan), and they sometimes painted their wares with underglaze blue.
Among the provincial wares of the Ting type the Ko ku yao lun mentions Hsiang yao, which "has crab's claw crackle. When rich and lustrous it is highly esteemed, but when yellow and of coarser material, it is of little merit or value." Another work[211] gives this ware a flattering mention in stating that the Ting ware resembled Hsiang yao in colour. The locality of its manufacture is left in doubt, but it was probably Hsiang–shan, in the Ning–po prefecture of Chekiang. The T´ao lu names a good number of producers of white ware, some definitely described as of Ting type, among the lesser factories. Su Chou,[212] for instance, in Anhui, in the modern prefecture of Fêng–yang, had a pottery dating from the Sung period. Its productions resembled Ting ware in colour, and had a considerable reputation. In fact, when the Ting porcelain became scarce the Su Chou ware was largely bought in Northern China as a substitute, though in reality it was far from equal to the genuine Ting.
Ssŭ Chou,[213] too, another place in Anhui, had a pottery dating from Sung times, which made wares of Ting type, and "persons who liked a bargain often bought them in place of Ting porcelain." In the same district, during the Yüan and Ming periods, a thin white ware with "earthen" body was made at Hsüan Chou,[214] which was evidently of t´u ting type. Brinkley[215] speaks of a pottery of this kind which is greatly esteemed by the Japanese under the name of Nyo–fu ware[216]; and a little wine cup with a slight engraved floral decoration in the British Museum is possibly an example of this class. It has an earthy looking body, and creamy white glaze, and is thin and very light to handle. Under the base are engraved the words
han hsing ("to contain fragrance").
Plate 23.—Ivory white Ting Ware, with carved ornament. Sung dynasty.
Fig. 1.—Bowl with lotus design. Diameter 8 1/2 inches. Eumorfopoulos Collection.