Fig. 325.—Vase.
ORIENTAL POTTERY AND PORCELAIN
CHINA
The porcelain of China is composed of two earths, the one a decomposed felspathic rock called kaolin, and the other a rock of the same geological origin, mixed with quartz, called petuntse. They both harmonise so completely that they have an equally resisting power when placed in the kiln. The kaolin used in making porcelain is much softer than petuntse when dug out of the quarry, yet it is this which, by its mixture with the other, gives strength and firmness to the work.
Chinese porcelain was classified by the late Dr. S. W. Bushell, C.M.G., under the following periods:—
1. Primitive period, including the Sung dynasty (960-1279) and the Yuan dynasty (1280-1367).
2. Ming period, comprising the whole of the Ming dynasty (1368-1643).