[251] O. C. A., p. 628.
[252] In the letter dated from Jao Chou, September, 1712, loc. cit.
[253] Incised designs on Fukien wares consist of the ordinary decoration etched in the body of the ware and of inscriptions which have evidently been cut through the glaze before it was fired. The latter often occur on wine cups, and are usually poetical sentiments or aphorisms, e.g. “In business be pure as the wind”; “Amidst the green wine cups we rejoice.”
[254] Japan and China, vol. ix., p. 273.
[255] Everyday Life in China, or Scenes in Fukien, by E. J. Dukes, London, 1885, p. 140. The reference is given by Bushell in his Oriental Ceramic Art.
[256] Loc. cit., p. 273.
[257] The Li t’a k’an k’ao ku ou pien, a copy of which, published in 1877, is in the British Museum. This book does not inspire confidence, but I give the passage for what it is worth: “When the glaze (of the Chien yao) is white like jade, glossy and lustrous, rich and thick, with a reddish tinge, and the biscuit heavy, the ware is first quality ... Enamelled specimens (wu ts’ai) are second rate.”
[258] In the Pierpont Morgan collection (vol. i., p. [78]), a specimen with a blue mark is described as Fukien porcelain; but I should accept the description with the greatest reserve, white Ching-tê Chên ware being very often wrongly described in this way.
[259] O. C. A., p. 294.
[260] In the second volume of the Pierpont Morgan catalogue—which, unfortunately, had not the benefit of Dr. Bushell’s erudition—the late Mr. Laffan extended the term lang yao so as to embrace the magnificent three-colour vases with black ground and their kindred masterpieces with green and yellow grounds. It is impossible to justify this extension of the term unless we assume that the pieces in question were all made between the years 1654–1661 and 1665–1668, while Lang T’ing-tso was viceroy of Kiangsi.