British Museum.
Fig. 3.—Vase with fine iron red enamel (mo hung) on the exterior. Ch’ien Lung period (1736–1795). Height 5 inches.
Salting Collection (V. & A. Museum).
Owing to the tremendous difficulty of firing these huge vessels the order for their supply in the reign of Shun Chih was eventually cancelled, and no attempt was made to resume their manufacture until T’ang’s directorate. The usual fish bowl of the K’ang Hsi period is a much smaller object, measuring about 20 in. (English) in diameter by 1 ft. in height; but from the note appended to Hsieh Min’s list in the Chiang hsi t’ung chih on the Imperial ta kang, it appears that already (about 1730) the manufacture had been resumed on the old scale,[447] for the dimensions of those described are given as from 3 ft. 4 or 5 in. to 4 ft. in diameter at the mouth, and from 1 ft. 7 or 8 in. to 2 ft. in height. An example of intermediate size is given on Plate [133], one of a pair in the Burdett-Coutts Collection measuring 26½ in. in diameter by 20 in. in height.
It remains to notice two glaze colours to which T’ang Ying appears to have paid special attention: the fei ts’ui (turquoise) and the mei kuei (rose colour). The former has already been dealt with in connection with Ming, K’ang Hsi, and Yung Chêng porcelain, and it is only necessary to add that it occurs in singularly beautiful quality on the Ch’ien Lung porcelains, often on vases of antique bronze form, but fashioned with the unmistakable “slickness” of the Ch’ien Lung imitations. Occasionally this glaze covers a body of reddish colour due to admixture of some coarser clay, which seems to have assisted the development of the colour, and it is worthy of note that there are modern imitations on an earthen body made at the tile works near Peking which, thanks to the fine quality of their colour, are liable to be passed off as old. I have noticed that Ch’ien Lung monochrome vases—especially those which have colours of the demi-grand feu like the turquoise—are often unglazed under the base. The foot is very deeply cut, and the biscuit is bare or skinned over with a mere film of vitreous matter, which seems to be an accidental deposit.
The mei kuei is the colour of the red rose (mei kuei hua), and it is obviously to be identified with the rose carmines derived from gold which were discussed in the last chapter. These tints are found in considerable variety in the early Ch’ien Lung porcelains, from deep crimson and scarlet or rouge red to pale pink, and they are used as monochromes, ground colours, and in painted decoration. A superb example of their use as ground colour was illustrated on the border of Plate [120], which is probably a Yung Chêng piece. Among the gold red monochromes of the the Ch’ien Lung period one of the most striking is a dark ruby pink with uneven surface of the “orange peel” type. Mr. S. E. Kennedy has a remarkable series of these monochromes in his collection.
Speaking generally, the Ch’ien Lung monochromes repeat the types in vogue in the previous reigns of the dynasty with greater or less success. Among the greens, the opaque, crackled glazes of pea, apple, sage, emerald, and camellia leaf tints described on p. [187] were a speciality of the time, and the snake-skin and cucumber tints were also made with success. There were, besides, beautiful celadon glazes of the grand feu, and an opaque enamel of pale bluish green eau de nil tint. Underglaze copper red was used both for monochromes and painted wares, but with the exception of the liver or maroon colour the former had not the distinction of the K’ang Hsi sang de bœuf or the Yung Chêng soufflé red. There is a jug-shaped ewer with pointed spout in the British Museum which has a fluescent glaze of light liver red deepening into crimson, and known in Japan as toko. It has the Hsüan Tê mark, but I have seen exactly similar specimens with the mark of Ch’ien Lung, to which period this colour evidently belongs. On the other hand, great improvement is observable in the overglaze coral red monochrome derived from iron, whether it be the thin lustrous film of the mo hung or the richly fluxed “jujube” red which attains the depth and fullness of glaze. Fig. 3, Plate [123], is a worthy example of the iron red monochrome of the period. As a thick, even and opaque colour this enamel was used in small pieces which wonderfully simulate the appearance of red cinnabar lacquer.
An endless variety of blue glazes were used, the pure blue in dark and light shades, soufflé or plain, the purplish blues and violets, the lavenders and clair de lunes. These are mainly high-fired glazes, but a favourite blue of this period is a deep purplish blue of soft, fluescent appearance and minutely crackled texture which is evidently a glaze of the demi-grand feu. The “temple of heaven” blue is of this nature, though of a purer and more sapphire tint. It is the colour of the ritual vessels used in the worship of heaven and of the tiles with which the temple was roofed. Another variety of this glaze has the same tint, but is harder and of a bubbly, pinholed texture, apparently a high-fired colour. The t’ien ch’ing (sky blue) has already been mentioned—a lighter colour between lavender and turquoise. And among the blue enamels which were sometimes used as monochromes at this time is an opaque deep blue of intense lapis lazuli tone.
Among the yellows, in addition to the transparent glazes of the older type, there are opaque enamels, including the lemon yellow with rough granular texture, the waxen[448] sulphur yellow which often displays lustrous patches, and the crackled mustard yellow.
Among the purples and browns there are few changes to note, though much of the greenish brown crackle probably belongs to this time; and there is little to be said about the white wares except that both the true porcelain, whether eggshell or otherwise, and the opaque crackled wares of the Ting yao type were still made with exquisite refinement and finish. The uneven glaze surface, happily compared to “orange peel,” was much affected on the Ch’ien Lung whites in common with many other wares of the time. But there were many new enamel monochromes formed by blending the famille rose colours, shades of opaque pink, lavender, French grey, and green, which are sometimes delicately engraved with close scroll patterns all over the surface, a type which is known by the clumsy name of graviata. These enamel grounds are often interrupted by medallions with underglaze blue or enamelled designs, as on the vase illustrated in Plate [125], Fig. 4, and on the so-called Peking bowls; or, again, they are broken by reserved floral designs which are daintily coloured in famille rose enamels. But we are already drifting from the monochromes into the painted porcelains of the period, and we shall return to the Peking bowls presently.