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 "HE MORGAN COL .EC 'ION 
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS 
 
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 CATALOGUE OF 
 THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS
 
 CATALOGUE OF 
 
 THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS 
 
 BY 
 
 STEPHEN W. BUSHELL 
 
 AND 
 
 WILLIAM M. LAFFAN 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 
 M C M I X
 
 Of the second edition without illustrations of the 
 Catalogue of the Morgan Collection of Chinese Por- 
 celains, 500 copies have been printed, March, 1909 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1904, 
 BY ROBERT CRIER COOKE 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1907, 
 BY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
 
 Art 
 
 NJ/N 
 
 PREFACE TO THIS EDITION 
 
 THIS work has been made available to visitors 
 by the aid of Dr. Stephen W. Bushell.C.M.G., 
 the eminent Oriental scholar and sinologue, 
 who has revised (1906) the original catalogue of 
 Mr. Morgan's collection, privately printed in a limited 
 edition. Dr. Bushell has also written an introductory 
 article on the general subject of Chinese porcelain and 
 its history, similar to his Chinese Art, in the South 
 Kensington Museum series, and it will be found to con- 
 tain a short and authoritative account of the industry 
 from the earliest times to the present day. 
 
 The purpose of the present catalogue is to afford to 
 those interested in the subject of Chinese porcelain 
 an opportunity to study the objects exhibited in the 
 Morgan Collection in the light of the latest knowledge 
 that is to be had on the subject. The collection is 
 the most comprehensive that is known, and it has been 
 described as succinctly and lucidly as appeared pos- 
 sible, and without any technicalities that could be 
 avoided. 
 
 W. M. L. 
 February i, 1907. 
 
 1286968
 
 PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION 
 
 ACCORDING to the Chinese the art of making 
 porcelain was known to them in the seventh 
 century of our era. Chinese literature ascribes 
 the invention to a much earlier period some 
 twenty-five centuries before Christ. If, however, we 
 accept the modern definition of porcelain, namely, that 
 it is white, hard, translucent body, vitrified throughout, 
 it is not at all certain that the art existed until much 
 later than the seventh century. Chinese writers ap- 
 pear to describe true porcelain, but we cannot be sure 
 of their meaning. We are only certain of it when, in 
 addition to the writing, we have an actual example of 
 the thing written about. Certain it is that no trace 
 of this early porcelain remains. We have Chinese pot- 
 tery of great antiquity, and now, at the beginning 
 of the twentieth century, China is beginning to yield 
 it with comparative freedom, the reasons doubtless 
 due to the intrusion of Western ideas and the break- 
 ing down of the prejudices of many centuries. This pot- 
 tery is all said to come from graves or burial grounds, 
 which its character fully indicates. It has much in 
 common with the ancient pottery of Western nations, 
 and, on a superficial inspection, it would be difficult 
 to separate certain vases of the earlier dynasties from 
 like pieces of Babylonian or Egyptian origin. 
 
 If, however, we demand examples, or fragments 
 
 Vll
 
 PREFACE 
 
 even, of the true porcelain so eloquently described 
 by early Chinese writers as essential to our accept- 
 ance of its existence at the period to which they as- 
 cribe it, we shall not be gratified. Chinamen vene- 
 rate antiquity more than they do anything else; they 
 have always exaggerated its virtues and inculcated 
 its importance, and have never been averse to culti- 
 vating the fictitious side of it, either in literature or 
 in art. We do not know yet, by the possession of the 
 actual objects, identified and proved, when true por- 
 celain was produced. It is doubtful if it preceded the 
 dynasty of the Mings, and it is more than probable 
 that the porcelain attributed to earlier periods was 
 stoneware or celadon. That it was kaolinic, and 
 dense and vitrified throughout, may be believed; but 
 that it was true porcelain we have no trustworthy 
 evidence. The tendency of all periods in China that 
 we are able to review has been to exaggerate antiquity 
 or counterfeit it. When the trade in porcelain with 
 Western nations opened in the sixteenth century, it 
 was in great part founded upon wares of a fictitious 
 antiquity. 
 
 The greater part of the porcelain imported into 
 European countries in the sixteenth and seventeenth 
 centuries was supposed to be antique porcelain. The 
 Chinese assumed that the European customer would 
 value the commodity for the same qualities that made 
 it esteemed in China, and it was accordingly dated 
 back a century or so. Those who then took account 
 of the date-marks appear to have accepted them in 
 good faith, and they remained undisputed until to- 
 ward the end of the nineteenth century. Perhaps 
 the most familiar date-mark upon the Chinese por- 
 celain so widely distributed in all European countries 
 in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was that 
 of the reign of Ch'eng-hua, 1465-1487. Thousands 
 upon thousands of pieces of it survive, but we have
 
 PREFACE 
 
 never seen a piece of porcelain bearing the Ch'eng-hua 
 mark which was made in the reign of that monarch. 
 We have never seen a piece bearing it that was older 
 than the beginning of the reign of K'ang-hsi, 1662-1722; 
 but we have seen a vast number that were even more 
 modern. 
 
 Modern research and study have dispelled many of 
 the illusions and trade traditions that obscured the 
 whole history of Chinese porcelains. In fact, at the 
 end of the nineteenth century it has been found neces- 
 sary to adopt an entirely different classification. In 
 all the European collections where there has been any 
 systematic attempt at classification, the most im- 
 portant of the decorated porcelains and the best of the 
 monochromes were ascribed to the dynasty of the 
 Mings, that is to say, they must have been made in 
 or prior to the reign of Wan-li, the Ming emperor, 
 with whom the industry perished in the Tartar in- 
 vasion. All the important blue and white pieces were 
 parcelled out as far back as the emperor Yung-lo, 
 1403-1424, with a distinct partiality for Ch'eng-hua, 
 1465-1487, and a leaning toward Hsiiante, 1426-1435. 
 The fine rare reds, the sang de bceufs, were all Ming 
 pieces, and by a curious fatuity were called Lang-yao; 
 a family of potters named Lang being created spon- 
 taneously for them. These last were really K'ang-hsi 
 porcelains, 1662-1722, and were Lang pieces in good 
 faith, having been produced at King-te-chen under 
 the prefecture of the great Lang, who gave so wonder- 
 ful an impetus to the art under the protection of the 
 peaceful Tartar monarch. The black pieces, the so- 
 called hawthorns, with varied decorations supported 
 on a black ground, were all relegated to the dynasty 
 of the Mings, and it is only at the beginning of the twen- 
 tieth century that we are able definitely to dispel 
 all these errors, and straighten out in some degree the 
 sadly involved chronology of Chinese porcelain. 
 
 IX
 
 PREFACE 
 
 In respect to all Chinese porcelain, it may be safely 
 said" that when it has been studied for some time it 
 will be found to look its age. We think that age has 
 already done something for the pieces of the seventeenth 
 century. Perhaps it has done very little, but we in- 
 cline to the belief that some change has been wrought 
 since they left the kiln two hundred years or more 
 ago. So, too, with the Ming porcelains. The beauti- 
 ful blue and white of Chia-ching, 1522-1566, and the 
 succeeding reigns, the true Mussulman blue of tra- 
 dition, looks older than the like product of K'ang-hsi. 
 All the five-colored porcelain of the Ming dynasty 
 looks its age, and all the true Ming pieces, of whatso- 
 ever description, betray their period to the initiated 
 eye. The counterfeits of the reign of the great Tartar, 
 K'ang-hsi, were wonderfully clever, but they do not 
 look the age ascribed to them. Marvellous, too, are 
 the counterfeits of our own time, the appalling industry 
 in China evoked by the high prices, the irresistible 
 rewards offered in Western markets for the ceramic 
 treasures of the Orient. The Chinese have always 
 been counterfeiters; their literature, in respect to 
 porcelain, is a continuous record of imitation, and the 
 art is revived in this our own day with astonishing force 
 and effect, and in a fashion to deceive woefully. Japan 
 too has embarked in this field, and is manufacturing 
 antiquities as fast as the markets of the world will ab- 
 sorb them, not only her own antiquities but those of 
 China and Corea. It is no new industry, the counter- 
 feiting of works of art; it is as old as the history of art 
 itself. 
 
 The Chinese writers described the potters' work of 
 their own times with great particularity and no little 
 enthusiasm. It was as thin as paper, as translucent 
 and sonorous as vessels of jade, and, in respect of color, 
 it appeared to have all the characteristics of the por- 
 celain with which we are familiar. None of it, how-
 
 PREFACE 
 
 ever, remains at this time to confirm and illustrate its 
 literature. That some such objects were produced 
 there is little doubt, and it would seem safe to assume 
 that it has vanished from existence because of its 
 very fragility and delicacy. A quarter of a century 
 ago there were known to English lovers of porcelain 
 certain pieces bearing the mark of Yung-lo, 1403-1424. 
 There were, perhaps, in all, two or three blue and white 
 cups, with coral-red exteriors decorated with gold 
 and one or two egg-shell bowls of white translucent 
 porcelain of great delicacy. These last were very 
 remarkable pieces. In the body, and visible only in 
 the strongest light, were beautifully drawn dragons 
 and Buddhistic emblems, and in the disk which formed 
 the bottom of the bowl could be faintly traced the in- 
 scription, Yung-lo nien chih, in old k'uan characters. 
 No porcelain that ever was made could surpass them 
 in delicacy or in beauty, and they seemed to realize 
 to the utmost the inspiration of the long-departed 
 Chinese historians. How things of such exceeding 
 fragility should have survived the vicissitudes of cen- 
 turies, and succeeded in transmitting themselves un- 
 scathed when the work of more recent ages had not 
 left a trace of itself seemed difficult of explanation. 
 The blue and white bowls with the coral exteriors 
 were more convincing, and when one made its appear- 
 ance in a goldsmith's mount of the time of Elizabeth, 
 it seemed impossible to withstand their antiquity. 
 
 Toward the end of the century, however, objects 
 of the same kind became more frequent, especially 
 the white egg-shell bowls with the perplexing archaic 
 marks, of which quite a number found their way into 
 collectors' hands. They are not yet explained, at 
 least not to everybody's satisfaction. 
 
 There was a potter in Japan, who came of a long line 
 of potters, and whose name was Zengoro-Riosen. He 
 was born in the latter part of the eighteenth century, 
 
 xi
 
 PREFACE 
 
 and he died full of years and ceramic honors at the end 
 of the first half of the nineteenth century. He is 
 handed down to posterity as a potter of the greatest dis- 
 tinction, and one who, in his time, was celebrated far 
 and wide for the skill with which he imitated the pottery 
 of others. It is told that the Prince of Arita was so 
 pleased with his reproduction of a Chinese vase of the 
 reign of the Emperor Yung-lo, that he forthwith named 
 him Yung-lo, and presented him with a seal bearing 
 those characters, with authority to affix it thereafter to 
 his pieces. Thus it came about that Zengoro-Riosen 
 was thenceforward known as Yeiraku, the Chinese 
 characters Yung-lo being pronounced in Japanese, 
 Yeiraku. The white bowl in the collection, No. 6, case 
 F, is one of these celebrated objects, and bears in old 
 k'uan characters, the mark Yung-lo nien cbih. 
 
 These pieces, and they are relatively few in number, 
 present the one point of possible or imagined contact 
 with the earlier porcelain of Chinese literature. The 
 more robust porcelains of the Ming dynasty identify 
 themselves readily, and a number of examples are 
 found in the collection. It will always be apparent 
 that pieces of Ming porcelain in some sort look their 
 age. At any rate, they look older in essential par- 
 ticulars than the porcelains which merely bear Ming 
 marks, or which for other reasons have always been 
 erroneously ascribed to a much greater antiquity than 
 they could rightly claim. In this category were the 
 black hawthorns, the green hawthorns, the greater 
 part of all the earlier blue and white collections of 
 Europe, all the copper-reds, including the sang-de- 
 bceufs, and practically all the decorated porcelain not 
 bearing the marks of the present dynasty. Even these 
 last were long indeterminate, because prior to the mid- 
 dle of the nineteenth century the marks upon porce- 
 lain had not been elucidated for general use. 
 
 The so-called "hawthorn" porcelains are divided 
 
 Xll
 
 PREFACE 
 
 into three groups, according to color: blue, black, 
 and green. Red hawthorn is also known, but only 
 by a single example the superb vase, No. 2, case I. 
 There is no hawthorn involved in any of them, the 
 flower from which the term is derived being the blossom 
 of the wild plum or w/-flower, and even it does not 
 always appear in the pieces which custom has recog- 
 nized as hawthorn. The blue hawthorns are the best 
 known, and in the collection there are three unsur- 
 passed examples, of which one, No. 6, case B, known 
 as the Blenheim, is as well known as it is beautiful. 
 These blue vases were originally known as ginger- 
 jars, and were used for the exportation of preserved 
 ginger, in which capacity they were woven about with 
 a protective netting or matting of stout fibre. They 
 were highly esteemed by the Dutch apothecaries, 
 who lined the shelves of their shops with them, and 
 later had them imitated at Delft, with labels to indi- 
 cate the drugs they were to contain. As with all por- 
 celain objects devoted to daily or domestic use, their 
 destruction was rapid, and the existence of survivors 
 is explained only by the fact that when their beauty 
 was reinforced by their rarity, they were withdrawn 
 from service and properly cared for. 
 
 The black and green hawthorn pieces did not appear 
 in Europe until much later. Indeed, it is doubtful 
 if any specimens were known outside China before the 
 latter half of the nineteenth century. They never 
 came within the classification of commercial porcelain, 
 as did all the vast quantity of blue and white which 
 found its way to Holland, but were essentially the pos- 
 sessions of the wealthy or ruling classes, the vases of 
 magistrates, or kouan-khi, as they were designated 
 in China. All of the finer examples of these black and 
 green hawthorns command very high and even extra- 
 ordinary prices; but there is good reason to believe 
 that they were just as dear and quite as highly prized 
 
 Xlll
 
 PREFACE 
 
 at the time when they were produced. In fact, all 
 the evidence goes to show that the prices of such pieces 
 in China two hundred years ago were relatively much 
 higher than those of the present day. 
 
 In the black hawthorns, the ground against which the 
 decoration appears is black; in the so-called green 
 hawthorns it is green. In the former the ground is 
 applied after the decoration is completed, and is of a 
 different firing. In the green pieces, the ground and 
 the decoration are established at the same time. Some- 
 times the black ground is found to be superposed on a 
 green ground, the latter probably having been found 
 inadequate in effect. The large vase, No. 4, case D, 
 would appear to have been destined for a black haw- 
 thorn, but to have been allowed to present its brilliant 
 enamels without the support of any other ground 
 than the fine white porcelain itself. In all the vases 
 of this class the porcelain is of the finest quality. 
 
 To Dr. Stephen W. Bushell, who was attached for a 
 quarter of a century to the British Legation at Peking 
 belongs the chief credit of clearing up the whole subject 
 of Chinese porcelain. He was the first to write of it 
 with authority, to present its history intelligibly, and 
 to enforce his learning by a broad and comprehensive 
 classification and identification of the porcelain itself. 
 Whatever had been published before Dr. Bushell made 
 himself known was chaotic, misleading and contra- 
 dictory. His history of Chinese porcelain was under- 
 taken at the behest of the late William T. Walters, of 
 Baltimore, in connection with a catalogue raisonne of 
 the Walters collection which he prepared; and while 
 it attained no wide publicity, on account of its great 
 size and cost, it reached the serious students and earnest 
 collectors. Since its publication, in 1899, there has 
 been a readjustment of the whole subject on the part 
 of all intelligent persons who are in any way concerned 
 
 XIV
 
 PREFACE 
 
 with it, and whatever of value has since been written 
 has been founded upon what Dr. Bushell set forth 
 in his exhaustive work. Much may yet be done to 
 elucidate special features of Chinese ceramics, but 
 the great and indispensable achievement is Dr. Bushell's 
 and that which remains to do is relatively unimportant. 
 
 What he accomplished was to move the great mass of 
 porcelain from one Chinese dynasty to another, from 
 the Mings to the Ch'ings, and to dispel many and dis- 
 tracting illusions which had grown up about it. One 
 of the most important collections in existence was 
 classified and generally accepted as containing nothing 
 but Ming pieces. A year or two after Dr. Bushell's 
 work appeared it was conceded that it contained only 
 one Ming example, and that all the rest were of the en- 
 suing or Ch'ing dynasty. This is a very good example 
 of the revolution wrought by Dr. Bushell's simple and 
 wholly unpretentious exposition of the actual bearing 
 of Chinese literature and learning upon the subject 
 itself when rightly expounded. 
 
 A great deal has been heard among collectors of the 
 so-called "soft paste" porcelains, and for a long time a 
 special value seemed to attach to them as if they were 
 something quite apart from and more desirable than 
 "hard paste" examples. This naturally was a reflec- 
 tion of the distinction between "soft paste," or pate 
 tendre, and hard or true porcelain as recognized in 
 European porcelains. There is no such thing as soft 
 paste Chinese porcelain in the European sense of the 
 term; and yet an immense amount of porcelain found 
 its way as such into the hands of people who were in- 
 duced to pay more for it on that account. For the 
 most part it is inferior, and does not belong to the best 
 period, but must be ascribed to that of the decadence 
 of the art, when new and labored characteristics were 
 imparted to it, to its detriment. The pate tendre of 
 the European porcelains has nothing in common with 
 
 XV
 
 PREFACE 
 
 the illusory "soft paste" of the dealers. The semi- 
 egg-shell examples of it in blue and white, which for a 
 time were more or less of a rage with collectors, were 
 really well-advanced examples of the downward ten- 
 dency of the art in the middle of the reign of Ch'ien- 
 lung. 
 
 When Chinese porcelain first became known in Eu- 
 rope it aroused universal admiration and wonder. 
 Western nations had only their own wares to com- 
 pare it with, and when one surveys the ceramic field 
 of Europe, even as late as the year 1700, it is possible 
 to form some idea of the impression it produced. The 
 pottery of England, of Germany, of the Lowlands, 
 of France, and even the beautiful faiences of Italy, 
 were at a vast disadvantage. The quality of the Chi- 
 nese paste, its purity and brilliancy, its density and 
 fineness, and, above all, the beauty of its enamel 
 colors, which was approached only by that of precious 
 stones the sapphire, the ruby, the emerald, the ame- 
 thyst, the turquoise, and the topaz were a revelation. 
 Little is known of the earliest pieces that came from 
 China. There is a legend that Saladin made a present 
 of forty pieces to Nureddin, Caliph of Syria, circa A. D. 
 1 1 88, but what was its true nature has not been told. 
 Marco Polo is said to have brought back some por- 
 celain, in 1295, to Venice, after his twenty years' so- 
 journ with the great Khan, but the circumstances 
 of his return do not enhance the probability that por- 
 celain formed a part of his baggage. Nothing, how- 
 ever, has prevented the appearance in European col- 
 lections of veritable Chinese porcelains said to have 
 come from Venice and attributed to the great travel- 
 ler. They were hexagonal, reticulated pieces of vis- 
 cous white, and Marco Polo would have had to defer 
 his return from Cathay for some 200 years in order 
 to bring them with him. 
 
 The earliest pieces to reach Europe were probably 
 
 XVI
 
 PREFACE 
 
 celadon,* which obtained a wide distribution by both 
 sea and land, as the learned researches of Dr. Frederick 
 Hirth have shown. The earliest piece known in Eng- 
 land was celadon, the communion-cup of Archbishop 
 Warham (i 504-1 532), and it is to be seen in the treasury 
 of New College at Oxford. It is in an English silver- 
 gilt mount. It was to celadon that the Persians at- 
 tributed the marvellous property of denoting, by chang- 
 ing its color, the presence of poison in the food that was 
 served in it. It did not possess this power, but its 
 cost was great, and only great princes could enjoy its 
 possession, and it was perhaps natural to attribute 
 some preternatural quality to it to justify a value so 
 disproportionate to its appearance. Certain it is 
 that the most archaic remains of true Chinese porce- 
 lain that are known are celadon. 
 
 Other pieces that reached Europe before importa- 
 tion began were blue and white, and were brought 
 by travellers as precious curiosities, or were presents 
 acquired by ambassadors or other distinguished per- 
 sons. They were commonly deemed worthy of a mount 
 in the best art of the jewellers of the period, both for 
 the distinction it conferred and the protection it af- 
 forded. Some of the most noted of the French metal- 
 workers of the eighteenth century bestowed their best 
 
 *Not a little progress has been made in determining the ex- 
 tent of the earlier foreign trade of China in continuation of Dr. 
 Frederick Hirth's admirable work. Thus, for instance, Chinese 
 bronze mirrors of the Han dynasty have turned up on the Nile, 
 the polished side engraved with votive inscriptions in Arabic. 
 One of these is in the possession of that eminent scholar, Dr. 
 Fouquet, of Cairo. A very interesting occurrence was noted in 
 Egypt last winter. Permission had been granted to some sebbak 
 diggers to demolish and remove an ancient mosque. The struc- 
 ture was known to date from the tenth century. In the stratum 
 beneath the foundations a Chinese celadon bowl of a perfectly 
 familiar character was discovered. It is, we oelieve, in the col- 
 lection of Professor Sayce, of Oxford, who was spending the winter 
 on the river, according to his custom for many years. 
 
 xvn
 
 PREFACE 
 
 efforts upon the adornment of Chinese porcelain, on 
 pieces, too, which, for the most part, were not what 
 we have learned to regard as the choicest. 
 
 When Chinese porcelain began to be largely imported 
 it so filled people's minds and commanded such prices 
 that it very naturally stimulated an intense ambition 
 to produce something like it. For a long time this 
 was sought in vain, the essential element of kaolin 
 being lacking; but potters everywhere were embarked 
 in the research and were bound to succeed. In the 
 meantime the Chinese porcelain was producing its 
 inevitable effect. Chinese shapes were appearing 
 everywhere. Chinese colors were being imitated, and 
 Chinese ideas and motives in decoration were being 
 adopted on all sides. In Saxony, Japanese porcelain 
 had been imported together with the Chinese, from 
 which it was not distinguished, and it was very suc- 
 cessfully and admirably imitated in soft paste, by 
 Bottger, before the art of making hard paste was dis- 
 covered. These imitations of Japanese porcelain were 
 wonderful, and they imparted a character to German 
 porcelain that it has never lost, and which, moreover, 
 affected all other European porcelain, and has, equally 
 ever since, continued to exert its influence. This was 
 no art of Bottger's, for his art was mostly that of a 
 counterfeiter, but was due to the work of a Japanese 
 artist named Kakiyemon, whose white porcelain, dec- 
 orated with simple isolated designs, whether of sprays 
 of flowers, blossoms, trees, foliage, or animals, com- 
 pletely enthralled Bottger. The prevailing feature 
 of Kakiyemon's work was the projection, on the white 
 field, of an isolated design, and his color scheme was 
 of the simplest imaginable. In his own country he 
 had introduced his personal art from China, where he 
 had acquired it, and it was as potent in Japan as 
 elsewhere, becoming immortal in the productions of 
 Imari. In Europe its effect was universal, spreading 
 
 XVlll
 
 PREFACE 
 
 from Germany to France, and thence into England, 
 and completely dominating in one way or another the 
 whole decoration of porcelain. 
 
 With the discovery of hard paste and the subsequent 
 ability of European potters to supply the market, the 
 importations from China fell off. It was a great trade 
 while it lasted, whole fleets arriving under convoy, 
 laden with porcelain alone, and the appetite for it 
 appeared insatiable. England vied with Holland in the 
 avidity with which it absorbed it, but all parts of Eu- 
 rope were eager customers. In Holland, however, 
 the rage for porcelain was like that which at one time 
 was manifested there for tulips; and as late as the 
 early part of the last century there were not a few 
 Dutch families in which sets of seven-bordered, egg- 
 shell, and rose-backed plates and the like number of 
 cups and saucers of similar character were in daily 
 domestic use. 
 
 W. M. L. 
 
 April, 1904. 
 
 xix
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION

 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 I HAVE been asked to write a short introduction 
 to a revised catalogue of the Morgan Collection 
 of Chinese Porcelain, and have recently been 
 afforded the opportunity of examining every 
 piece in the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, 
 before attempting the flattering, but difficult, task of 
 presenting a proem worthy of the occasion. A certain 
 familiarity with the finest collections in Europe, 
 notably the Salting collection in the Victoria and 
 Albert Museum, the Franks Collection in the British 
 Museum, the Grandidier Collection in the Louvre, 
 and the old treasures of Augustus the Strong in the 
 Johanneum, at Dresden, prompts me to place the one 
 before us in the first rank for the striking beauty of 
 many of the specimens, and for their peculiar fitness 
 and readiness for a serious study of the history and 
 development of the ceramic art in China. 
 
 "The study of any branch of art* supposes," as Mr. 
 Stanley Lane-Poole justly observes, in his handbook on 
 the Art of the Saracens in Egypt, "some acquaintance 
 
 *The following sketch is taken, in the main, from my handbook 
 on Chinese Art, published in 2 vols., 1905-1906, by the Board of 
 Education, for the Victoria and Albert Museum. 
 
 XXHl
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 with the history of the people among whom the art was 
 practised." This axiom applies with added force to 
 China and to Chinese art, and particularly to the art of 
 the Chinese potter, who invented porcelain, and sub- 
 sequently carried its decoration, almost unaided, to 
 such a high pitch of perfection. 
 
 The native story of the evolution of Chinese culture 
 makes it nearly as old as the civilizations of Egypt, 
 Chaldaea, and Susiana. These empires have, long 
 since, culminated and disappeared below the horizon, 
 while China has continued to exist, to work out its own 
 ideas of art and ethics, and to elaborate the peculiar 
 script which it retains to the present time. The char- 
 acters of the ancient Chinese script would appear to 
 have originated and developed in the valley of the 
 Yellow River, and no connection has hitherto been sat- 
 isfactorily traced with any other system of picture 
 writing. Chinese history is carried back by some to a 
 mythical period of fabulous antiquity; their first man, 
 Pan Ku, emerging from chaos as the embryo of an 
 all-productive cosmic egg or atom. He is followed by 
 a mythical series of celestial, terrestrial, and human 
 rulers, some of the last of which were called Yu Ch'ao 
 (the Nesters), because they lived in trees in those days, 
 and others Sui Jen (the Fire Producers), the discoverers 
 of the primitive friction hand-drill of wood. 
 
 The legendary, as distinct from the purely mythical, 
 period begins with Fu-hsi, the reputed founder of the 
 Chinese polity. He is figured in the carved stone bas- 
 reliefs of the Han dynasty, which date from about the 
 Christian era, and are an invaluable storehouse of 
 ancient lore,*as the first of the three ancient sover- 
 eigns, known as San Huang. He holds a mason's 
 square, and is accompanied by a female personage wear- 
 ing a coronet, and holding a pair of compasses, another 
 
 *See La Sculpture sur pierre en Chine au temps des deux dynasties 
 Han, by Prof. E. Chavannes, Paris, 1893. 
 
 xxiv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 emblem of the masonic craft. This last is Nil Wa, who 
 is variously represented as either the consort, or sister 
 of Fu-hsi; their bodies terminating in the forms of 
 dragons or serpents, are intertwined below, and so are 
 those of the attendant sprites supported by rolled 
 clouds ending in birds' heads. Fu-hsi first traced the 
 eight trigram symbols of Chinese divination, and he also 
 invented knotted cords records like the Peruvian 
 quippus, which are said to have preceded Chinese hier- 
 oglyphics. The third of the San-huang was Shen-nung, 
 the Divine Husbandman, who first fashioned timber into 
 ploughs, and taught his people the art of husbandry. 
 He discovered the curative value of herbs, and founded 
 the first markets for the exchange of commodities. 
 
 The Wu Ti, or Five Rulers, who succeeded the above, 
 are depicted in the same series of bas-reliefs. They 
 wear the long official robes and the square-topped hats 
 hung with pendants of jade, which were adopted by the 
 first of their number, the famous Huang-ti, a promi- 
 nent personage at the dawn of Chinese history. He 
 was the founder of the first hereditary line, whose capital 
 was near the modern Hsi-an Fu, in the province of 
 Shensi. Many of the industrial arts, including that of 
 welding clay, are traced back to his time, and his prin- 
 cipal consort, Hsi-ling Shih, who first taught the people 
 to rear silkworms, is still worshipped as a deity on that 
 account. The Taoist mystics have transformed Huang- 
 ti, the "Yellow Emperor," into a miraculous being who 
 invented alchemy, and was the first to gain immortality. 
 He is identified by Terrien de Lacouperie with Nak- 
 hunte, and made the leader of his so-called Bak tribes, 
 which are supposed to have traversed Asia from Elam 
 to China, and to have started a new civilization in the 
 valley of the Yellow River; while his predecessor, Shen 
 Nung, is identified with Sargon, who is supposed to 
 have ruled in Chaldaea about 3800 B. C. But such 
 speculations are difficult to follow, although there 
 
 XXV
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 would really appear to have been some connection be- 
 tween the nascent civilizations of Chaldaea and China 
 at an early period. 
 
 With the emperors Yao and Shun, the last two of 
 the " Five Rulers," we stand on firmer ground, as they 
 are placed by Confucius at the head of the Shu King, 
 the classical annals compiled by him in the fifth century 
 before Christ, and idealized as perfect models of dis- 
 interested rule for all time. Their capital was at P'ing- 
 yang Fu in Shansi, where their memorial temple still 
 stands just outside the city wall, with gigantic images 
 of the two heroes, thirty feet high, in its central pavilion, 
 before which the reigning emperor Kuang-hsii, burned 
 incense on his return journey to Peking, in 1900. 
 
 Yao set aside his own son and called on the nobles 
 to name a successor, when Shun was chosen, who 
 worked as a potter at Hopin before he was called to 
 the throne. Shun, in his turn, passing by an unworthy 
 son, transmitted the throne to an able minister, the 
 great Yu. Yu departed from these illustrious prece- 
 dents, and incurred the censure of "converting the 
 empire into a family estate," and since his time the 
 hereditary principle has generally prevailed. Yu 
 gained his great reputation by the success of vast hy- 
 drographic works, continued for nine years, till the 
 country was rescued from floods, and finally divided 
 into nine provinces. His labors are described in the 
 Tribute of Yu, which is preserved in the early annals 
 and is generally considered to be a contemporary doc- 
 ument. He is said to have cast nine bronze tripod 
 vessels (ting) from metal sent up from the nine prov- 
 inces to the capital, situated near K'ai-feng Fu, in the 
 province of Honan, which were religiously preserved 
 for nearly 2000 years as palladia of the empire. 
 
 Yu was the founder of the Hsia dynasty, which was 
 succeeded by the Shang, and the Shang by the Chou, 
 as indicated by the following table of the period 
 
 XXVI
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 which is always known to the Chinese as that of San 
 Tai (The Three Dynasties) . 
 
 THE THREE EARLY DYNASTIES 
 
 NAME OF DYNASTY NUMBER OF RULERS DURATION OF DYNASTY 
 S- B ' C 
 
 W Hsia Eighteen 2205-1767 
 
 jt Shang Twenty-eight 1766-1122 
 
 j^J Chou Thirty-five 1122-255 
 
 The dates given in the above table are those of the 
 official chronology which, however, is not contemporary, 
 but has been calculated backwards by later historians 
 from the lengths of the reigns, the cyclical days of 
 eclipses of the sun and moon, and other data recorded 
 in the current annals. It has been shown that the cycle 
 of sixty was used only for days at this time, not for 
 years. The early dates must be consequently taken 
 as only approximative, since it is not till the accession 
 of Hsiian Wang (B. C. 822) that there is a general agree- 
 ment in the native sources. From this date down- 
 wards the official Chinese dates may be accepted with 
 every confidence. 
 
 The civilization of China throughout the three 
 ancient dynasties appears to have been, so far as we 
 know, mainly, if not entirely, an indigenous growth. 
 Towards the close of the period, in the course of the 
 fifth and fourth centuries before the Christian era, the 
 northwestern of the feudal realms, the Ch'in State, 
 which corresponded more or less to the modern province 
 of Shensi, came prominently to the front, and gradually 
 extended its boundaries to the south and west. Its 
 name became thus known outside, and from it, no 
 doubt, was derived that of China, by which the coun- 
 try generally became known to the Hindus, Persians, 
 Armenians, Arabs, and ancient Romans. About the 
 same time signs of an overland traffic with India, by 
 
 xxvn
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 way of Burma and Assam, appeared in the Southwest, 
 started by traders of the Shu State (Szchuan province), 
 and by this route Hindu ideas of forest seclusion and 
 asceticism penetrated, giving a marked color to the 
 early Taoist cult which sprang up in these parts. 
 
 The famous builder of the Great Wall, who was des- 
 tined to overthrow the Chou dynasty, succeeded to the 
 throne of his native State of Ch'in in B. C. 246. In 
 B. C. 221 he had conquered and annexed all the other 
 States, and founded a new and homogeneous empire on 
 the ruins of the feudal system. He further extended 
 the empire widely towards the south, drove back the 
 Hiung-nu Turks on the north, and built the Great Wall 
 as a rampart of defence against these horse-riding 
 nomads. He next tried to burn all historical books, 
 declared himself the First Divus Augustus (Shih 
 Huang-ti), and decreed that his successors should be 
 known as the Second, Third and so forth, even down 
 to the ten-thousandth generation. But his ambitious 
 projects came to naught, as his son who succeeded as 
 Erb Shih Huang-ti, or Emperor in the second gener- 
 ation in B. C. 209, was murdered by the eunuch Chao 
 Kao, two years after, and in 206 his grandson, a mere 
 child, gave himself up to the founder of the house of 
 Han, Liu Pang, bringing with him the jade seals of 
 State, and was assassinated a few days later. A table 
 of the regular succession of dynasties follows here for 
 reference, with the dates of their commencement. 
 The figures in brackets indicate the number in the series 
 of twenty-four voluminous dynastic histories devoted 
 to their annals. (See Wylie's Notes on Chinese Lit- 
 erature, p. 13.) 
 
 NAME OF DYNASTY BEGAN REMARKS 
 
 B - c - 
 
 ,2) 221 
 
 206 Capital at Ch'ang-an. 
 
 XXVlll
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 9 
 
 (5) 
 
 
 NAME OF DYNASTY 
 
 | Eastern Han (3) 
 | After Han 
 
 Chin 
 
 ? Eastern Chin. 
 fc Sung, Liu House (6) 
 
 Ch'i (7) 
 
 Liang (8) 
 
 Ch'en (9) 
 
 T'ang (16, 17) 
 j^ Posterior Liang 
 * " T'ang 
 " Chin 
 
 BEGAN 
 A. D. 
 
 REMARKS 
 
 s " ch u 
 
 Northern Sung ) 
 fr Southern Sung j 
 Yuan (23) 
 Ming (24) 
 Ch'ing 
 
 221 
 
 265 
 3 2 3 
 
 479 
 502 
 
 557 
 581 
 618 
 907 
 923 
 936 
 947 
 
 960 
 1 127 
 1280 
 1368 
 1644 
 
 Capital at Lo-yang. 
 
 ) Epoch of the Three Kingdoms, 
 j vi%., Han, Wei, and Wu (4). 
 
 420 "] Epoch of Division between North 
 
 and South, Nan Pei Ch'ao 
 (14, 15), the (10) Wei(Toba), 
 386-549, ruling the north ; fol- 
 lowed by (n) the Northern 
 Ch'i 550-577; and (12) the 
 Northern Chou, 557-581. 
 
 | These short-lived lines are known 
 } collectively as the Five Dyn- 
 asties, or Wu Tai (18, 19). 
 
 J 
 
 I North China ruled by the Kitan 
 Tartars, as Liao dynasty (21), 
 916-1 1 19 ; by the Juchen Tar- 
 tars, as Chin or Golden dynasty 
 (22), 1115-1234. 
 Mongolian dynasty. 
 
 Reigning Manchu dynasty. 
 
 The Ch'in emperor, who aimed at universal dominion, 
 may have heard rumors of the conquests of Alexan- 
 der the Great in Central Asia. But it was not till the 
 next dynasty, the Han, that regular communication 
 was opened up with western countries by sending Chang 
 Ch'ien on a mission to the Yeuh-ti, or Indo-Seyths, 
 
 XXIX
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 whose capital was then on the northern bank of the 
 Oxus River. The envoy started B.C. 139, was kept 
 ten years a prisoner by the Hiung-nu Turks, who ruled 
 Eastern Turkistan, but at last reached his destination 
 through Ta Yuan (Fergana), the name of which is sup- 
 posed to be derived from the Asiatic name of the Greeks 
 Ta being "Great," and Yuan equivalent to '/rfovsc or 
 lonians. The Chinese envoy returned through Bactria, 
 and tried the Khotan Lobnor route, but was again stop- 
 ped by the Hiung-nu, and got back at last in B. C. 126, 
 after an absence of thirteen years. Chang Ch'ien found 
 bamboo staves, cloth and other goods offered for sale 
 in Bactria, which he recognized as products of Sze- 
 chuan, and was told that they were brought there from 
 Shentu (India). He reported to the emperor the ex- 
 istence of this southwestern trade from China to India, 
 and also the name of Buddha and of Buddhism as an 
 Indian religion. The grape vine with its Greek name 
 (pu-t'ao from /9or/>yc), the lucerne (Medicago saliva), 
 the pomegranate from Parthia (Ansi), and several 
 other plants were introduced into China by him, and 
 were first planted at the capital in the Shang Lin Park. 
 The emperor, Wu Ti, subsequently sent friendly em- 
 bassies to Sogdiana, and to Parthia in the beginning of 
 the reign of Mithradates II, followed by an army to 
 Fergana in B. C. 102-100, which conquered the Ta 
 Yuan kingdom, and brought back in triumph thirty 
 blood-sweating Niscean horses (of classical fame). 
 In the far south Kattigara (Cochin China) had been 
 annexed in 1 10 B. C., and given the Chinese name of 
 Jih Nan (South of the Sun), and a ship was despatched 
 from that port to get a supply of the colored glass of 
 Kabulistan, which was becoming so highly valued at 
 the Chinese court. 
 
 The official introduction of Buddhism followed in the 
 year 67 A.D. The emperor Ming Ti, having seen in a 
 dream a golden figure floating in a halo of light across 
 
 XXX
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 the pavilion, was told by his council that it must have 
 been an apparition of Buddha, and sent a special mis- 
 sion of inquiry to India. The envoys returned to the 
 capital, Lo-yang, with two Indian monks, bringing 
 with them Pali books, some of which were forthwith 
 translated, and pictures of Buddhist figures and scenes, 
 which were copied to adorn the walls of the palace halls 
 and of the new temple which was built on the occasion. 
 This was called Pai Ma Ssu (The White Horse Temple), 
 in memory of the horse which had carried the sacred 
 relics across Asia, and the two Indian sramana lived 
 there till they died. The subsequent influence of Bud- 
 dhist ideals on Chinese art has been all pervading, but 
 there is no space to pursue the subject here. 
 
 In 97 A.D. the celebrated Chinese General Pan Ch'ao 
 led an army as far as Antiocha Margiana, and sent his 
 lieutenant Kan Ying to the Persian Gulf to take ship 
 there on an embassy to Rome, but the envoy shirked 
 the sea journey and came back without accomplishing 
 his mission. Roman merchants came by sea to Katti- 
 gara (Cochin China) in 166 A.D., appearing in the annals 
 as envoys from the emperor An-tun (Marcus Aurelius 
 Antoninus), and later arrivals of Roman traders were 
 reported at Canton in 226, 284, etc. Meanwhile the 
 overland route to the north, which had been inter- 
 rupted by the Parthian wars, was re-opened, and many 
 Buddhist missionaries came to Lo-yang from Parthia 
 and Samarkand, as well as from Gandhara in Northern 
 India. 
 
 During the period of the "Northern and Southern 
 Dynasties," when China, from the beginning of the 
 fifth to nearly the end of the sixth dynasty, was divided, 
 Buddhism flourished exceedingly. The Toba Tartars, 
 who ruled the north, made it a state religion, and their 
 history devotes a special book (^eiShu,Ch.cxiv} to the 
 subject, which gives an interesting account of the mon- 
 asteries, pagodas, and rock sculptures of the time; 
 
 XXXI
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 with a supplement on Taoism under the heading of 
 Huang Lao, i. e., the religion of Huang Ti and Lao Tzu. 
 In the south the emperor Wu Ti of the Liang dynasty, 
 who reigned (502-549) at Chien K'ang (Nanking), often 
 put on the mendicant's robes, and expounded the sacred 
 books of the law in Buddhist cloisters. It was in his 
 reign that Bodhidharma, the son of a king in South- 
 ern India, the twenty-eighth Indian and first Chinese 
 patriarch, came to China in A.D. 520, and after a short 
 stay at Canton settled at Lo-yang. He is often repre- 
 sented in glyptic art carrying the famous patra, the 
 "holy grail" of the Buddhist faith, or pictured crossing 
 the Yangtsze on a reed which he had plucked from the 
 bank of the river. 
 
 In the Sui dynasty the empire was re-united, and 
 under the Great T'ang dynasty (618-906), which suc- 
 ceeded, it attained its widest limits. The T'ang ranks 
 with the Han as one of the great "world-powers" of 
 Chinese history, and many of the countries of Central 
 Asia appealed to the Son of Heaven for protection 
 against the rising prowess of the Arabs. A Chinese 
 general with an army of Tibetan and Nepalese auxil- 
 iaries took the capital of Central India (Magadha) in 
 648, and fleets of Chinese junks sailed to the Persian 
 Gulf, while the last of the Sasanides fled to China for 
 refuge. The Arabs soon afterwards came by ship to 
 Canton, settled in some of the coast cities as well as in 
 the province of Yunnan, and enlisted in the imperial 
 armies on the northwest for service against rebels. 
 Nestorian missionaries, Manichaeans, and Jews came 
 overland during the same period, but the Crescent pre- 
 vailed in these parts and has lasted ever since, the num- 
 ber of Chinese Mohammedans to-day being estimated 
 to exceed 25,000,000. 
 
 Buddhist propagandism was most active early in the 
 T'ang, after the headquarters of the faith had been 
 shifted from India to China. Hindu monks, expelled 
 
 XXXll
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 from their native country, brought their sacred images 
 and pictures with them, and introduced their tradi- 
 tional canons of art, which have been handed down to 
 the present day with little change. Chinese ascetics, 
 on the other hand, wandered in successive parties to 
 India to investigate the holy land of the Buddha and 
 burn incense before the principal shrines, studying 
 Sanskrit and collecting relics and manuscripts for trans- 
 lation, and it is to the records of their travels that we 
 owe much of our knowledge of the ancient geography 
 of India. 
 
 Stimulated by such varied influences Chinese art 
 flourished apace, the T'ang dynasty being generally 
 considered to be its golden period, as it certainly was 
 that of literature, belles-lettres, and poetry. But the 
 T'ang power during its decline was shorn, one by one, of 
 its vast dominions, and finally collapsed in 906. The 
 Kitans, who gave their name to Marco Polo's Cathay, 
 as well as to Kitai, the modern Russian word for 
 China, were encroaching on the north, a Tangut power 
 was rising in the northwest, a Shan kingdom was es- 
 tablished in Yunnan, and Annam declared its inde- 
 pendence. 
 
 Of the five dynasties which rapidly succeeded one 
 another after the T'ang, three were of Turkish ex- 
 traction, and they may be dismissed with a word as 
 being of little account from an artistic point of view. 
 
 In 960 the Sung dynasty reunited the greater part 
 of China proper, shorn of its outer dominions. The 
 rule of the Sung has been justly characterized as a pro- 
 tracted Augustan era, its inclinations being peaceful, 
 literary, and strategical, rather than warlike, bold, and 
 ambitious. Philosophy was widely cultivated, large 
 encyclopedias were written, and a host of voluminous 
 commentaries on the classics issued from the press, so 
 that the period has been summed up in a word as that 
 of Neo-Confucianism. The emperor and high officials 
 
 xxxiii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 made many collections of books, pictures, rubbings of 
 inscriptions, bronze and jade antiquities, and other art 
 objects, of which important illustrated catalogues still 
 remain, although the collections have long since been 
 dispersed. During this time the Chinese intellect 
 would seem to have become, as it were, crystallized, 
 and Chinese art gradually developed into lines which 
 it still, for the most part, retains. 
 
 The Yuan dynasty (1280-1367) was established by 
 Kublai Khan, a grandson of the great Mongol warrior 
 Genghis Khan. The Mongols annexed the Uigur Turks 
 and destroyed the Tangut kingdom; swept over Tur- 
 kestan, Persia, and the steppes beyond; ravaged 
 Russia and Hungary; and even threatened the existence 
 of Western Europe. China was completely* overrun 
 by nomad horsemen, its finances ruined by issues of an 
 irredeemable paper currency, and its cities handed over 
 to alien governors called darughas. A Chinese con- 
 temporary writer describes the ruin of the porcelain 
 industry at Ching-te-chen at this time by exorbitant 
 official taxation, so that the potters were driven away 
 from the old imperial manufactory there, to start new 
 kilns in other parts of the province of Kiangsi. Marco 
 Polo is astonished at the riches and magnificence of 
 the great khan, who was really a ruler of exceptional 
 power and made good use of his Chinese conquests. 
 But the culture which surprised the Venetian traveller 
 was pre-Mongolian, and its growth was mainly due to 
 Chinese hands. Even the wonderful cane palace of 
 Marco Polo celebrated by Coleridge: 
 
 "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan 
 A stately pleasure dome decree, etc." 
 
 was actually the old summer residence of the Sung 
 emperors at K'ai-feng Fu, in the province of Honan, 
 which was dismantled and carried away piecemeal to 
 
 XXXIV
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 be built up again in the park of the new Mongolian 
 capital of Shangtu, outside the Great Wall of China. 
 
 The Mongolian era is responsible for some of the re- 
 markable similarities that have been noticed in in- 
 dustrial art work of Western and Eastern Asia, which 
 were then for the first time under the rule of the same 
 house. Hulagu Khan is said to have brought a hun- 
 dred families of Chinese artisans and engineers to Persia 
 about 1256; and on the other hand, the earliest painted 
 porcelain of China is decorated with panels of Arabic 
 script pencilled in the midst of floral scrolls, strongly 
 suggestive of Persian influence. 
 
 The Mongols were driven out of China to the North 
 of the desert of Gobi in 1368, in which year the Ming 
 dynasty was founded by a young bonze named Chu 
 Yuan-chang. They raided the borders for some time, 
 and even carried off one of the Chinese emperors in 
 1449, who, however, was liberated eight years later, 
 to resume his reign under the new title of T'ien-shun, 
 as may be seen in the accompanying list. This is 
 noticeable as being the only change of nien-hao during 
 the last two dynasties, whereas in previous lines changes 
 were very frequent. 
 
 The early Ming emperors kept up intercourse with 
 the west by sea, and the reign of Yung-lo and Hsiian-te 
 are especially distinguished by the career of a famous 
 eunuch admiral, who went in command of armed junks 
 to India, Ceylon, and Arabia, down the African coast 
 to Magadoxu, and up the Red Sea as far as Jiddah, 
 the seaport of Mecca. Celadon porcelain (cVing tfu) 
 is included in the list of articles taken to Mecca in the 
 reign of Hsiian-te (1426-35), and it was perhaps one 
 of these expeditions that brought the celadon vases 
 sent by the Sultan of Egypt in 1487 to Lorenzo de 
 Medici. In the next century Portuguese and Spanish 
 ships appeared for the first time in these seas, and 
 Chinese junks were no more seen. The four Burghley 
 
 XXXV
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 House pieces of Ming porcelain with Elizabethan silver- 
 gilt mounts, in the collection at the South Kensington 
 Museum, were probably brought to Europe by one of 
 the early Spanish ships. 
 
 Modern history begins at this point, and need not 
 be discussed here. It only seems necessary to append 
 a list of the reigns of the emperors of the Ming dynasty, 
 followed by another of the Manchu Tartar line, which 
 supplanted the Ming in 1644, and is still reigning in 
 China. 
 
 An octagonal melon-shaped wine-pot in the South 
 Kensington Museum collection, decorated with Chinese 
 boys playing and conjuring, is mounted in Elizabethan 
 silver-gilt with hall-marks of the year 1585. The other 
 four interesting pieces, also with Elizabethan mounts, 
 belong to the Pierpont Morgan Collection, and are now 
 exhibited on loan at the South Kensington Museum. 
 They were shown at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 
 1895, and are now described in the Catalogue of Blue 
 and White Oriental Porcelain printed at the time, as 
 coming from Burghley House, where they had been seen 
 in the possession of the Cecil family from the time of 
 Queen Elizabeth. A ewer, artistically painted in soft 
 blue with birds and flowers, is mounted with a silver- 
 gilt base, six bands formed as wreaths with cherubs' 
 heads in relief, a band round the neck, with lip and 
 lid surmounted with three dolphins and a handle formed 
 of a mermaid, with a double-twisted tail, all in silver- 
 gilt. The last of the four pieces, a bowl, decorated 
 with floral sprays and imperial phoenixes pencilled in 
 typical Ming style, has the mark Wan-H (1573-1619) 
 outlined under the foot in underglaze blue; the rest 
 are unmarked, but are unmistakable examples of the 
 ceramic style of the same reign. 
 
 XXXVI
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 TP 
 
 JLC 
 
 EMPERORS OF THE 
 
 DYNASTIC TITLE 
 
 Miao Hao 
 >fc JHfl. T'ai Tsu ^b 
 
 /JX )!. Ch'eng Tsu 5j 
 
 fa ^f Jen Tsung Mfc 
 
 ^ ^j^ Hsiian Tsung *g* 
 
 5R: ^V ^ m & Tsung 
 
 if* 'rfi* Ching Ti 
 
 ^^ Tpf Ying Tsung 
 
 (resumed government) 
 
 is! 7J* Hsien Tsung 
 
 Hsiao Tsung 
 
 Wu Tsung 
 
 Shih Tsung 
 
 Mu Tsung 
 
 Shen Tsung 
 
 Kuang Tsung 
 
 Hsi Tsung 
 1S\\ q&ChuangLiehTi 
 
 5^ MING DYNASTY 
 
 TITLE OF REIGN 
 
 Nien Hao 
 
 ^ Hung Wu 
 
 /jr Chien Wen 
 
 t&k Yung Lo 
 
 [5fi Hung Hsi 
 
 ^^ Hsiian T^ 
 
 ftk Cheng T'ung 
 
 jfe Ching T'ai 
 
 Illi T'ien Shun 
 
 m tL Ch'eng Hua 
 
 7-k /p Hung Chih 
 
 IE ffi Cheng Te 
 
 ^f U|g Chia Ching 
 
 rf// |A * 
 
 Im /S Lung Ch'ing 
 
 1^ IS Wan Li 
 
 3^ Q T'ai Ch'ang 
 
 ?C JB^ T'ien Ch'i 
 
 Ch'ungChen 
 
 DATE OF 
 ACCESSION 
 
 1368 
 
 >399 
 1403 
 1425 
 1426 
 1436 
 1450 
 
 1457 
 
 1465 
 1488 
 1506 
 1522 
 1567 
 
 1573 
 1620 
 1621 
 1628 
 
 EMPERORS OF THE 
 
 DYNASTIC TITLE 
 
 Miao Hao 
 
 i)t fi Shih Tsu 
 m jjt| Sheng Tsu 
 
 GREAT CHlNG DYNASTY 
 
 TITLE OF REIGN 
 
 Nien Hao 
 
 JH Vior Shun Chih 
 J|t P& K'ang Hsi 
 xxxvii 
 
 DATE OF 
 ACCESSION 
 
 1644 
 1662
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 EMPERORS OF THE GREAT CH'ING DYNASTY-Continued 
 
 DYNASTIC TITLE 
 
 Miao Hao 
 
 / *=* 
 
 T- TT; 
 
 Shih Tsung 
 Kao Tsung 
 Jen Tsung 
 Hsiian Tsung 
 Wen Tsung 
 Mu Tsung 
 
 TITLE OF REIGN 
 
 Nien Hao 
 
 IE 
 
 Yung Ch'eng 
 Ch'ien Lung 
 Chia Ch'ing 
 Tao Kuang 
 Hsien Feng 
 T'ung Chih 
 Kuang Hsu 
 
 DATE OF 
 ACCESSION 
 
 1723 
 1736 
 1796 
 1821 
 1851 
 1862 
 1875 
 
 The Empress Dowager rules China in the present 
 day with diminished prestige when compared with 
 her illustrious predecessors, K'ang-hsi (1662-1722) 
 and Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795), but undismayed withal, 
 she wields the calligraphic brush with a firm hand on 
 the autograph scrolls which she distributes among her 
 adherents, and is a liberal patron of native art. Her 
 "seals" are to be seen on many of the vases and dishes 
 lately looted from the palace at Peking, an evidence 
 that the fires are again burning at the imperial pot- 
 teries, the scene of which is vividly pictured in the lines: 
 
 "And bird-like poise on balanced wing 
 Above the town of King-te-ching, 
 A burning town or seeming so, 
 Three thousand furnaces that glow 
 Incessantly, and fill the air 
 With smoke uprising, gyre on gyre, 
 And painted by the lurid glare 
 Of jets and flashes of red fire." 
 
 LONGFELLOW: Keramos. 
 
 xxxvin
 
 CHINESE POTTERY AND PORCELAIN 
 
 THE term pottery used in its widest sense includes 
 every production of the fictile art, and com- 
 prises all kinds of earthenware and stoneware, 
 as well as porcelain, its highest achievement. 
 Porcelain has been evolved from ordinary pottery by a 
 gradual improvement in the selection of materials and 
 in finish of work, and there is hardly a straight line of 
 demarcation between the two, either chemically or 
 microscopically. Ceramic knowledge is derived partly 
 from literary records and traditions, partly from ac- 
 tual specimens, and is more convincing when the two 
 sources of information are carefully combined. There 
 is a voluminous ceramic literature in China, but there 
 is no space to approach the subject here, and the in- 
 quirer may be referred to the special chapter on Chinese 
 ceramic bibliography in the Walters Catalogue.* 
 
 POTTERY 
 
 The general Chinese for pottery, as defined above, 
 is t'ao, a very ancient character, the construction of 
 which shows that it originally meant "kiln," although 
 now it is applied to all kinds of ware fired in kilns, 
 from the commonest earthenware to the finest porce- 
 
 *0riental Ceramic Art, Chap. XII. By S. W. Bushell. New 
 York, 1899. 
 
 xxxix
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 lain. Another character, yao, of more recent construc- 
 tion, is now used for "kiln"; and also, again, for ware 
 fired in a kiln, so that kuan yao (imperial ware), 
 is the ordinary name used for the productions of the 
 imperial potteries at Ching-te-chen. Their word for 
 earthenware is wa, the character for which was orig- 
 inally the picture of a rounded tile. 
 
 Porcelain was certainly invented in China. This 
 is acknowledged, as it were, by the English adoption 
 of the word "china" as equivalent to porcelain; and 
 even in Persia, where Chinese porcelain has been 
 known and imitated for centuries, the only country 
 to which an independent invention has been plausibly 
 attributed by some writers, the word chini has a sim- 
 ilar connotation. For the creation of a scientific 
 classification of ceramic products we are indebted 
 to Brongniart, and may adopt his definition of the dis- 
 tinctive characteristics of porcelain. Porcelain ought 
 to have a white, translucent, hard paste, not to be 
 scratched by steel, homogeneous, resonant and vitri- 
 fied, exhibiting, when broken, a conchoidal fracture 
 of fine grain and brilliant aspect. These qualities, 
 inherent in porcelain, make it impermeable to water, 
 and enable it to resist the action of frost even when 
 uncoated with glaze. Among the characteristics of 
 the paste given above, translucency and vitrification 
 define porcelain best. If either of these two qualities 
 be wanting, we have before us another kind of pottery; 
 if the paste possess all the other properties, with 
 the exception of translucency, it is a stoneware; if 
 the paste be not vitrified, it belongs to the category 
 of terra-cotta or of faience. 
 
 The Chinese define porcelain under the name of 
 t{'u, a character first found in books of the Han dy- 
 nasty (B. c. 2o6-A. D. 220), as a hard, compact, fine- 
 grained pottery (t'ao), and distinguish it by the clear, 
 musical note which it gives out on percussion, and by 
 
 xl
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 the test that it cannot be scratched by a knife. They 
 do not lay so much stress on the whiteness of the paste, 
 nor on its translucency, so that some of the pieces may 
 fail in these two points when the fabric is coarse; and 
 yet it would be difficult to separate them from the 
 porcelain class. The paste of the ordinary ware, even 
 at Ching-te-chen, is composed of more heterogeneous 
 materials than that fabricated at European factor- 
 ies, and may even be reduced in some cases to a mere 
 layer of true porcelain earths (kaolin and petuntse) 
 plastered over a substratum of yellowish gray clay. 
 The Chinese always separate, on the other hand, dark- 
 colored stonewares, like the reddish-yellow ware 
 made at Yi-hsing, in the province of Kiangsu, known 
 to us by the Portuguese name of boccaro, or the dense 
 brown refractory stoneware of archaic look, produced 
 at Yang-chiang, in the southern part of the province 
 of Kwangtung, which is coated with colored enamels, 
 and is often put in our collections among the mono- 
 chrome porcelains. 
 
 Some typical specimens of Kuang yao, as this last 
 stoneware is called, are exhibited in Case XXXVI, e.g., 
 No. 883, which is the base of a Kuang yao vase of 
 archaic aspect, cut down; No. 886, an old vase worked 
 in salient relief, and covered with purple mottling 
 glazes of finely crackled texture, the iron-gray paste 
 of which is seen under the foot; and No. 893, a charac- 
 teristic form invested with a grayish celadon glaze, 
 which has partly peeled off from the foliated rim, dis- 
 closing the dark-colored paste underneath. Pot- 
 ters' marks are occasionally found stamped in the 
 paste under the pieces from these kilns. 
 
 The Yi-hsing yao has also no pretension to figure 
 amongst porcelain, although a rare tea-pot may have 
 come out of the kiln, as we are told, with transparent 
 sides, as a freak of the fire. No examples of this red 
 and buff-colored faience are in the Morgan Collection, 
 
 xli
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 so that it need not detain us long. The Yi-hsing pot- 
 teries flourished most under the Ming dynasty, having 
 been founded by Kung Ch'un in the reign of Cheng-te 
 (1506-1521). A mo re famous potter named Ou worked 
 here during the reign of Wan-li (1573-1619), who ex- 
 celled in the imitation of the antique reproducing the 
 old crackled and variegated glazes of the Sung dy- 
 nasty on the brown stoneware of the place. Bottger, 
 the inventor of Saxon porcelain, first tried his hand 
 at the imitation of the Chinese boccaro ware in 1708, 
 some of his pieces being exhibited in the Johanneum 
 at Dresden, beside the original models with some 
 success, although his essays hardly deserve the epithet 
 of porcelaine rouge with which they were baptized. 
 The Elers, too, copied the red varieties with great 
 exactness in Staffordshire, so that it is not always easy, 
 according to Sir Wollaston Franks, to distinguish their 
 productions from Oriental examples. 
 
 After this digression we must return to the story of 
 pottery in China. It passed through here, as else- 
 where, the usual stages of sun-dried and burned bricks, 
 tiles, architectural ornaments, culinary utensils, funeral 
 and sacrificial vases and dishes. The most ancient 
 specimens, dug up from burial mounds, resemble gen- 
 erally, in form as well as in fabric, the prehistoric pot- 
 tery of other parts of the world. They are unglazed, 
 and only the later examples show signs of having been 
 fashioned on the wheel. The Chinese claim the in- 
 vention of the potter's wheel, like many of the great 
 nations of antiquity, and ascribe it to a director of 
 pottery attached to the legendary emperor, Huang Ti, 
 who "first taught the art of welding clay." The 
 ancient emperor Shun, who was a potter before he 
 was called to the throne, is reputed to have been a 
 master of the art, his wine vessels and earthenware 
 coffins being alluded to in the ritual classics of the 
 Chou dynasty. Wu Wang, the founder of the Chou 
 
 xlii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 dynasty, after his conquest of China in the twelfth 
 century B. c., is recorded to have sought out a lineal 
 descendant of the emperor Shun, on account of his 
 hereditary skill in the fabrication of pottery, and to 
 have given him his own eldest daughter in marriage, 
 endowed with the fief of the State of Ch'en, now Ch'en- 
 chou in the province of Honan, to keep up there the an- 
 cestral worship of his accomplished ancestor. 
 
 There are many other references to pottery in the 
 old books of the Chou dynasty. The K'ao Kung Chi, 
 a contemporary official work on the industries of the 
 period, has a short section on the pottery made for 
 the public markets, which gives the names and meas- 
 urements of several kinds of cooking vessels, sacrifi- 
 cial vases and platters, in the fabrication of which the 
 processes of throwing on the wheel and pressing in 
 moulds are clearly distinguished. The different ves- 
 sels were made by two classes of craftsmen, called 
 respectively t'ao jen, (potters,) and fang jen, (mould- 
 ers). The early objects of pottery unearthed in China 
 are remarkably similar in form, as well as in ornamental 
 details, with the corresponding utensils of bronze, 
 which are less perishable and so better known. Clay 
 was, doubtless, the earliest material used for meat 
 offerings and libations of wine in ancestral worship, 
 and, though supplanted by bronze among the rich, 
 it is still retained in the ritual of the poor. 
 
 Pottery of the Chou dynasty is occasionally found 
 incised with dedicatory inscriptions of the same char- 
 acter as those on the contemporary bronzes, and is 
 also used by archaeologists in their study of the an- 
 cient script. But it was not till the former Han dy- 
 nasty, just before the Christian era, that dates began 
 to appear, impressed generally by a stamp under the 
 foot of the piece, giving the title of the reign and the 
 year, with the addition, perhaps, of its cyclical number. 
 Bricks and tiles intended for the palaces of the Ch'in 
 
 xliii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 and Han dynasties had previously been moulded with 
 dates and felicitous formulae, so that it was easy to ex- 
 tend the practice to pottery vessels of similar ma- 
 terial, fired, maybe, at the same kiln. 
 
 Pottery has always been an important adjunct 
 to Chinese architecture; buildings being faced, out- 
 side as well as inside, with slabs of colored faience, 
 while the roofs are decorated with moulded antefixal 
 ornaments of grotesque character, and covered with en- 
 amelled tiles, colored in obedience to strict sumptuary 
 laws. The famous porcelain tower of Nanking, now 
 razed to the ground, was a well-known example. The 
 colors employed in China are powdered glazes made 
 with a lead flux, and the method of application is like 
 that of the firing of -salt-glazed ware in Europe. The 
 glazes used at the imperial factories near Peking are five 
 in number: a deep purplish blue derived from cobalt 
 and manganese silicates, a rich green from copper 
 persilicate, a yellow approaching the tint of the yolk 
 of an egg from antimony, a sang de bceuf red from cop- 
 per mixed with a deoxidising flux, and a charming 
 turquoise blue obtained from copper combined with 
 nitre. The five-fold combination is intended to sug- 
 gest the five jewels of the Buddhist paradise. 
 
 The date of the introduction of glaze into the Chinese 
 ceramic field is unknown, although it would appear to 
 have been earlier than that of the use of glass by them 
 as an independent fabric for vessels. It goes back 
 certainly to the Han dynasty (B.C. 2O6-A.D. 220), during 
 which green-glazed pottery came into vogue, and the 
 art was revived early in the fifth century by certain 
 artisans who are recorded to have come from the 
 Yueh-ti, an Indo-Scythian kingdom on the frontier 
 of India, and to have introduced into China new methods 
 of compounding liu-li, or colored glazes. The vessels 
 of green-glazed faience that have just been referred 
 to are of archaic form, modelled after bronze designs 
 
 xliv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 with ornamental bands worked in relief, covered with 
 a lustrous green glaze derived from copper persilicate. 
 The paste is buff-colored, or of darker shades of yellow 
 and red, and is hardly to be scratched by the point of 
 a knife; the glaze, approaching in tint the rind of a 
 cucumber, or the leaf of a camellia, mottled over with 
 darker clouds, is of finely crackled texture, and often 
 becomes strongly iridescent from age. The archaic 
 vases of this class are universally attributed by na- 
 tive connoisseurs to the Han dynasty. They are 
 occasionally dated, as in the case of a characteristic 
 specimen formerly in the Dana Collection at New York, 
 which was engraved with a date corresponding to B. c. 
 133, the second year of the period Yuan Kuang. 
 
 This early green enamelled ware is not porcelain, 
 as its body lacks the two essential qualities of white- 
 ness and translucency. It is chiefly interesting as 
 giving a fixed point for the study of the subsequent 
 evolution of the ceramic art in China. On the one 
 hand, a gradual progress in the selection of materials 
 and in the perfection of methods of manufacture, where 
 kaolin was available, culminated in the invention of 
 porcelain. On the other hand, where colored clays 
 only were mined evolution was restricted to refine- 
 ment of the paste, improvement of technique, the in- 
 troduction of new methods of decoration, such as 
 colored enamels of new tints, and the like. The 
 Han dynasty vessels have been mostly dug up in the 
 neighborhood of Peking, and were probably made not 
 far away, so that their recent representatives would 
 be the imposing jars Nos. 896,909, Cases XXXVI, 
 XXXVII, which were doubtless fashioned in the Liu-li 
 Ch'ang factory at Peking in the Ming dynasty. 
 
 PORCELAIN 
 
 Porcelain has been broadly defined as the generic 
 
 xlv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 term employed to designate all kinds of pottery to 
 which an incipient vitrification has been imparted by 
 firing. This translucent pottery may be divided into 
 twa classes: i. Hard paste, containing only natural 
 elements in the composition of the body and the glaze. 
 2. Soft paste, where the body is an artificial combina- 
 tion of various materials, agglomerated by the action 
 of fire, in which the compound called a frit has been 
 used as a substitute for a natural rock. No soft paste 
 porcelain, as here defined, has ever been made in 
 China, so that it need not be referred to further. All 
 Chinese porcelain is of the hard paste variety. The 
 body consists essentially of two elements vi{., the 
 white clay, or kaolin, the unctuous and infusible ele- 
 ment, which gives plasticity to the paste, and the 
 felspathic stone, or petuntse, which is fusible at a high 
 temperature, and gives transparency to the porcelain. 
 Of the two Chinese names, which have become class- 
 ical since they were adopted in the dictionary of the 
 French Academy, kaolin is the name of a locality near 
 Ching-te-chen, where the best porcelain earth is mined, 
 petuntse, literally "white briquettes," refers to the 
 shape in which the finely pulverized porcelain stone 
 is brought to the potteries, after it has been submitted 
 to the preliminary processes of pounding and decan- 
 tation. The felspathic stone from Ch'i-men-hsien, in 
 the province of Kiangsu, has been chemically analyzed 
 by Ebelmen, who describes it as a white compact 
 rock of slightly grayish tinge, occurring in large frag- 
 ments, covered with manganese oxide in dendrites, 
 and having crystals of quartz imbedded in the mass, 
 which fuses completely into a white enamel under the 
 blowpipe. 
 
 In actual practice many other materials, such as 
 powdered quartz and crystallized sands, for example, 
 are added to the above two essential ingredients in the 
 preparation of the body of Chinese porcelain, which 
 
 xlvi
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 varies very widely in composition. A special paste 
 made of huang tun, or "yellow bricks," derived from 
 a very tough compact rock, pounded on the spot in 
 larger water mills, is used for coarser ware, and is 
 said to be indispensable for the proper development of 
 some of the single-colored glazes of the high fire. 
 
 The glaze (yu) of Chinese porcelain, is made of the 
 same felspathic rock that is used in the composition 
 of the body, the best pieces of petuntse being reserved 
 for the glaze, selected for their uniform greenish tone, 
 especially when veined with dendrites like leaves of 
 the arbor vitce. This is mixed with lime, prepared by 
 repeated combustion of gray limestone, piled in alter- 
 nate layers with ferns and brushwood cut from the 
 mountainside. The action of the lime is to increase the 
 fusibility of the felspathic stone. The finest petuntse, 
 called yu kuo or "glaze essence," and the purified 
 lime, called lien hui, separately made with the addi- 
 tion of water into purees of the same thickness, are 
 afterwards mixed by measure in different proportions 
 to make a liquid glaze. This glaze is finally put on 
 the raw body with the brush, by dipping, or by in- 
 sufflation. T'ang Ying tells us that in his time the 
 glaze of the highest class of porcelain was composed 
 of ten measure of the petuntse puree with one measure 
 of the liquid lime. Seven or eight ladles of petuntse 
 with three or two ladles of lime were used for the glazes 
 of the middle class. With petuntse and lime in equal 
 proportions, or with lime predominating, the glaze was 
 described by him as fit only for coarse ware. 
 
 The glaze of Chinese porcelain always contains lime. 
 It is the lime which gives it a characteristic tinge of 
 green or blue, but at the same time conduces to a bril- 
 liancy of surface and a pellucid depth never found in 
 more refractory glazes which contain no lime. This 
 has been proved, moreover, at Sevres, and it is interest- 
 ing to note that, according to M. Vogt, the glaze of the 
 
 xlvii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 nouvelle porcelains recently made there is prepared 
 with 33 per cent of chalk. 
 
 ORIGIN. It is generally agreed that porcelain was 
 first made in China, but authorities differ widely in 
 fixing a date for its invention. The Chinese attribute 
 its invention to the Han dynasty, when a new character 
 tl'u was coined to designate, presumably, a new sub- 
 stance. The official memoir on "Porcelain Admin- 
 istration" in the topography of Fou-liang (Fou-liang- 
 hsien chih, book viii, folio 44), the first edition of 
 which was published in 1270, says that, according to 
 local tradition, the ceramic works at Hsin-p'ing (an 
 old name of Fou-liang) were founded in the time of 
 the Han dynasty, and had been in constant operation 
 ever since. This is confirmed by T'ang Ying, the cele- 
 brated superintendent of the Imperial potteries, ap- 
 pointed in 1728, who states in his autobiography that 
 the result of his researches shows that porcelain was 
 first made during the Han dynasty at Ch'ang-nan 
 (Ching-te-chen), in the district of Fou-liang. The 
 industrial environment of the period lends a certain 
 plausibility to the theory, as we know that quantities 
 of glass vessels were being imported at the time from 
 the workshops of Syria and Egypt, and it seems nat- 
 ural that experiments should be made to fabricate 
 something of the kind at the Chinese potteries. The 
 eminent Japanese art critic, Kakasu Okakura, in his 
 Ideals of the East, suggests that the alchemists of the 
 Han dynasty, in their prolonged research for the elixir 
 vita and the philosopher's stone, may have somehow 
 made the discovery, and he arrives at the conclusion 
 that, "We may ascribe the origin of the wonderful 
 porcelain-glaze of China to their accidental discover- 
 ies." 
 
 In the Wei dynasty (221-264) which succeeded the 
 Han, we read of a glazed celadon ware made at Lo- 
 yang for the use of the palace, and in the Chin dynasty 
 
 xlviii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 (265-419) have the first mention of blue porcelain, 
 produced at Wen-chou, in the province of Chehkiang, 
 the progenitor of the sky-blue glazes tinted with co- 
 balt which afterwards became so famous. The short- 
 lived Sui dynasty (581-617) is distinguished for a kind 
 of green porcelain (lii tf'u), invented by a President of 
 the Board of Works named Ho Chou, to replace green 
 glass, the composition of which had been lost, since its 
 introduction by artisans from Northern India about 
 A.D. 424. 
 
 Much progress must have been made meanwhile in 
 the ceramic production of the province of Kiangsi, as 
 it is recorded in the topography of Fou-liang, referred 
 to above, that in the beginning of the reign of the 
 founder of the T'ang dynasty, Ta'o Yii, a native of 
 the district, brought up a quantity of porcelain to the 
 capital in Shensi, which he presented to the emperor as 
 "imitation jade." In the fourth year (A. 0.621) of this 
 reign the name of the district was changed to Hsin- 
 p'ing, and a decree was issued directing Ho Chung-ch'u 
 and his fellow potters to send up a regular supply of 
 porcelain for the use of the imperial palace. The 
 simile of "imitation jade" is significant, and almost 
 proves that it must have been really porcelain, espec- 
 ially as it was the production of the place where the 
 finest porcelain is made in the present day. White 
 jade has always been the ideal of the Chinese potter, 
 whose finished work actually rivals the most highly 
 polished nephrite in purity of color, translucency 
 and lustre, while the egg-shell body attains the same 
 degree of hardness (6.5 of Mohs's scale), so that it can 
 be scratched by a quartz crystal, but not by the point 
 of a steel knife. 
 
 There are abundant references to porcelain in the 
 voluminous literature of the T'ang dynasty (618-906). 
 The biography of Chu Sui in the annals recounts the 
 zeal which he showed, when superintendent of Hsin- 
 
 xlix
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 p'ing, in obeying a decree, issued in 707, ordering sacri- 
 ficial utensils for the imperial tombs. The Ch'a Cbing, 
 a classical book on tea, describes the different kinds 
 of bowls preferred by tea drinkers, classifying them 
 according to the color of their glaze in enhancing the 
 tint of the infusion. The poets of the time liken 
 their wine cups to "disks of thinnest ice," to "tilted 
 lotus leaves floating down a stream," to white or green 
 jade. A verse of the poet Tu (803-852) is often quoted 
 referring to white porcelain from the province of 
 Ssechuan: 
 
 "The porcelain of the Ta-yi kilns is light and yet strong. It 
 rings with a low jade note, and is famed throughout the city. 
 The fine white bowls surpass hoarfrost and snow." 
 
 The first line praises the fabric, the second the re- 
 sonance of the tone, the third the purity of the white 
 glaze. 
 
 The bowls most highly esteemed for tea were the 
 white bowls of Hsing-chou, now Shun-te-fu, in the 
 province of Chihli, and the blue bowls of Yueh-chou, 
 the modern Shao-hsing-fu, in Chehkiang. They both 
 rang with a clear musical note, and are said to have been 
 used by musicians, in sets of ten, to make chimes, be- 
 ing struck on the rims with little rods of ebony. 
 
 Arab trade with China flourished during the eighth 
 and ninth centuries, when Mohammedan colonies set- 
 tled in Canton and other Seaport towns. One of the 
 Arabian travellers named Soleyman wrote an account 
 of his journey, which has been translated into French, 
 and which gives the first mention of porcelain outside 
 China. He says: 
 
 "They have in China a very fine clay with which they make 
 vases which are as transparent as glass ; water is seen through them. 
 These vases are made of clay." 
 
 The Arabs at this time were well acquainted with 
 
 1
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 glass, and could hardly have mistaken the material, 
 so that their evidence is of special value. 
 
 Passing on to the Emperor Shih Tsung (954-959) 
 of the Posterior Chou, a brief dynasty established at 
 K'ai-feng-fu just before the Sung, we have a glimpse 
 of a celebrated production known afterwards as Cb'ai 
 yao, Ch'ai being the name of the reigning house. 
 The porcelain was ordered at this time by imperial 
 rescript to be: 
 
 "As blue as the sky, as clear as a mirror, as thin as paper, and 
 as resonant as a musical stone of jade." 
 
 This eclipsed in its delicacy all that preceded it. 
 Fragments were mounted in gold and worn as jewels, 
 but it soon became so rare that it was described as a 
 phantom. 
 
 The various delicate wares referred to in the above 
 extracts have all probably long since disappeared, 
 and we must be content with literary evidence of their 
 existence. The Chinese delight in literary research, 
 as much as they fear to disturb the rest of the dead 
 by digging in the ground, so that we have no tangible 
 proof, so far, of the occurrence of true porcelain, and 
 can only hope for the future appearance of an actual 
 specimen of early date. Still we may reasonably ac- 
 cept the conclusion of the best native scholarship that 
 porcelain was first made in the Han dynasty, without 
 trying, as Stanislas Julien has tried on very insuffi- 
 cient grounds, to fix the precise date of its invention. 
 
 CLASSIFICATION OF CHINESE PORCELAIN 
 
 A correct classification should be primarily chron- 
 ological, and the specimens should be, secondarily, 
 grouped under the headings of the localities at which 
 they were produced, and, thirdly, each group may be 
 subdivided, if necessary, according to the fabric, 
 technique, and style of decoration of the pieces of
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 which it is composed. Perhaps it may be permitted 
 here to sum up results, and to refer those interested in 
 the subject to my too bulky Oriental Ceramic Art for 
 further details and references to better authorities. 
 
 Beginning with the Sung dynasty, which reigned 
 from 960 to 1280, when it was overthrown by Kublai 
 Khan, the grandson of the famous Genghis Khan, and 
 the founder of the Yuan dynasty, which ruled China 
 till it was in its turn succeeded by the native Ming 
 dynasty in the year 1368, we have a ceramic period 
 marked generally by the primitive aspect of its pro- 
 ductions. Actual specimens of the time are now 
 available for comparison with the descriptions of the 
 writers on porcelain, and the illustrations of the artists 
 in the old albums which have come down to us. The 
 most useful of these last is the album of the sixteenth 
 century, in four volumes, from the Peking library of 
 the hereditary Princes of Yi, described by me in the 
 Journal of the Peking Oriental Society for 1886, which 
 has been often cited since. This album, entitled Li tai 
 ming t%'u t'ou p'u (Illustrated Description of the cele- 
 brated Porcelain of different Dynasties), was the 
 work of Hsiang Yuan-p'ien, a well-known connoisseur 
 and collector of his time, and its eighty-three illus- 
 trations were drawn and colored by himself. The 
 seal in antique script of Mo-lin Shan jen attached to 
 his preface, gives his literary title, "A dweller in the 
 hills of Mo-lin," and is identical with the vermilion 
 stamp with which Hsiang guarantees as a critic, 
 the early picture of Ku K'ai-chih now in the British 
 Museum. 
 
 The ceramic productions of the Sung and Yuan dy- 
 nasties are rightly classed together by M. Grandidier, 
 whose classification it is proposed to follow here, ar- 
 ranged as it is in chronological order after a Chinese 
 model. It comprises five fairly well marked ceramic 
 classes, and as a rule it will not be found difficult to 
 
 lii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 decide from the style, from the method of decoration, 
 or from the colors employed, to which class a parti- 
 cular piece belongs. 
 
 CHRONOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION 
 
 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). 
 
 3. K'ang-hsi Period, extending from the fall of 
 the Ming dynasty to the close of the reign of 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 4. Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Period (1723- 
 1795), the two reigns being conjoined. 
 
 5. Modern Period, from the beginning of the 
 reign of Chia-ch'ing to the present day. 
 
 The above table is simple and practical, and it may 
 be used in combination with a second table compiled 
 with some modifications and additions from the ex- 
 cellent Catalogue of the Franks Collection of Oriental 
 Porcelain and Pottery (2nd Edition, 1878) issued by 
 the Science and Art Department of the Committee of 
 Council on Education, which furnishes a scheme of 
 the varied methods of decoration employed during the 
 period comprised in the first, or chronological table. 
 
 Class I. Not painted. 
 
 Section A. Plain white. 
 
 ' B. Single colored glazes, not crackled. 
 
 C. Crackled glazes. 
 
 D. Flambe" glazes. 
 
 E. Souffle* glazes. 
 
 F. Glazes of several colors. 
 Class II. Painted in colors. 
 
 Section A. In underglaze colors. 
 
 1. Cobalt blue. 
 
 2. Copper red. 
 
 3. Celadon. 
 
 4. Different colors in combination. 
 
 liii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 Class II. Painted in Colors. Continued. 
 Section B. In overglaze colors. 
 
 1. Iron red. 
 
 2. Sepia. 
 
 3. Gold. 
 
 4. Two or more colors. 
 
 C. In underglaze and overglaze colors combined. 
 
 D. Single colored grounds decorated in colors. 
 
 1. In white slip (over blue and brown). 
 
 2. In gold (over blue, black, and red). 
 
 3. In mixed enamel colors on crackled or 
 
 monochrome grounds. 
 
 4. In medallions of diverse form. 
 Class III. Special Fabrications. 
 
 Section A. Etched patterns and embossed designs. 
 
 B. Open-work or reticulated. 
 
 C. Open-work filled in with glaze ("grains of rice"). 
 
 D. Imitations of other materials agate, marble, 
 
 and other stones, patinated bronze, veined 
 wood, carved cinnabar lac, etc. 
 
 E. Lacque burgautee. 
 Class IV. Foreign designs. 
 
 Section A. Plain white. 
 
 B. Painted in blue. 
 
 C. Painted in enamel colors. 
 
 D. Decorated in Europe. 
 
 The productions of the Sung dynasty come entirely 
 under Class I. of the above Table, being covered gen- 
 erally with glazes of single colors, either of uniform or 
 mottled tint, and exhibiting either plain or crackled 
 surfaces. Among the monochrome glazes are found 
 whites of various tones, grays of bluish or purplish 
 tints, greens from pale sea-green celadon to deep olive, 
 browns from light chamois to dark shades approaching 
 black, bright red, and dark purple. Especially no- 
 table are the pale purple, often splashed over with red; 
 the brilliant grass-greens of the Lung-ch'tian porcelain, 
 called ts'ung-lii, or "onion-green" by the Chinese; 
 the yueb-pai, or " clair de lune," a pale gray-blue, and 
 the deep purple, or aubergine (cb'ieb i^u), of the Chiin- 
 
 liv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 chou wares; these last kilns were also remarkable for 
 the brilliance of their yao-pien, or "transmutation" 
 mottled tints, due to the varied degrees of oxidation 
 of the copper silicates in the glaze. Polychrome dec- 
 oration at this period, which is rare, comes under the 
 heading of Class 1., Section F, consisting as it does, of 
 glazes of different colors applied sur biscuit. A prom- 
 inent example of this method of decoration in glazes 
 of several colors is the celebrated image of Kuan Yin 
 enshrined in the Buddhist temple Pao-kuo-ssu at 
 Peking, the early date of which, the thirteenth century 
 of our era, is authenticated by the records of the mon- 
 astery. Painted decoration was still more sparingly 
 employed, although we learn from Ko ku yao lun* 
 that in the province of Chihli, both the Ting-chou 
 and Tz'ii-chou porcelains of the time were occasionally 
 painted with ornamental designs in brown. Cobalt 
 blue, it is recorded in the annals, was brought to China 
 by the Arabs as early as the tenth century, and was 
 first used, probably, in the preparation of colored 
 glazes, as we know nothing of painting in blue under 
 the glaze until the Yuan dynasty. The earliest "blue 
 and white" dates from the thirteenth century, when 
 the technical process of painting in cobalt on the raw 
 body of the porcelain seems to have been introduced, 
 perhaps, from Persia, where it had long been used in 
 the decoration of tiles and other articles of faience, 
 although porcelain proper was unknown to the Per- 
 sians, except as an importation from China. 
 
 There were many potteries in China during the Sung 
 dynasty, but Chinese writers always refer first to four 
 kinds of ceramic production (yao} as the principal, 
 vi{., Ju, Kuan, Ko, and Ting; placing the celadon 
 ware of Lung-ch'iian and the flambe faience of Chiin- 
 
 * A learned work on antiquities, literary and artistic, in 13 books, 
 by Tsao-ch'ao, published in the year 1387. 
 
 Iv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 chou next: and relegating the other minor factories, 
 which may be neglected here, to an appendix. 
 
 The Ju yao was the porcelain made at Ju-chou, 
 now Ju-chou-fu, in the province of Honan. The best 
 was blue, rivalling, we are told, the azure-tinted blos- 
 soms of the Vitex incisa shrub, the "sky blue flower" 
 of the Chinese, and carrying on the tradition of the 
 celebrated Cb'ai yao of the preceding dynasty, which 
 was made in the same province. The glaze, either 
 crackled or plain, was often laid on so thickly as to 
 run down like melted lard, and end in an irregularly 
 curved line before reaching the bottom of the piece. 
 
 The Kuan yao was the "imperial ware" of the Sung 
 dynasty, kuan meaning "official," or "imperial," and 
 the name is still applied to the productions of the im- 
 perial potteries at Ching-te-chen. The first imperial 
 manufactory in the Sung dynasty was founded early 
 in the eleventh century at the capital Pien-chou, the 
 modern K'ai-feng-fu. A few years later the dynasty 
 was driven southward by the advancing Tartars, 
 and new factories had to be founded in the new capital 
 the modern Hang-chou-fu, to supply table services for 
 the palace. The glazes of the early Kuan yao were rich 
 and unctuous, generally crackled, and imbued with 
 various monochrome tints of which yueh-pai, or clair 
 de lune was the most highly esteemed of all, followed 
 by fen-ch'ing, "pale purple," ta-lu, "emerald green" 
 (literally gros vert}, and lastly lui-se, "gray." The 
 Hang-chou Kuan yao was made of a reddish paste 
 covered with the same glazes, and we constantly meet 
 with the description of bowls and cups with iron-col- 
 ored feet and brown mouths where the glaze was 
 thinnest. A curious characteristic of all the above 
 glazes consists of fortuitous blotches of red, due to 
 oxidation in the kiln, contrasting vividly with the 
 color of the surrounding ground. These blotches 
 occasionally take on accidentally the shape of butter- 
 
 Ivi
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 flies or some other natural form, when they are classed 
 as a variety of yao-pien, or "furnace-transmutation." 
 The ordinary Yuan i^u, or "Yuan (dynasty) porce- 
 lain" of Chinese collectors resembles generally the 
 imperial ware of the Sung dynasty, being fashioned 
 in the same lines, and only differing in comparative 
 coarseness and inferior technique, so that it need not 
 delay us further. 
 
 The Ko yao of the Sung dynasty was the early 
 crackled ware fabricated by a potter named Chang 
 the Elder, a native of Liu-t'ien, in the jurisdiction of 
 Lung-ch'iian-hsien, in the twelfth century of our era. 
 The early Ko yao was distinguished especially for 
 its crackling, looking as if it were "broken into a hun- 
 dred pieces" (po-sui), or "like the roe of a fish" (yii-t%u) 
 the French truitee. The principal colors of this 
 crackled glaze were fen-ch'ing, or "pale purple" due 
 to manganiferous cobalt, and mi-st, or "millet-col- 
 ored," a bright yellow derived from antimony. Such 
 was the original Ko yao; the name has since been 
 extended to include every kind of porcelain covered 
 with crackled monochrome glazes in all shades of 
 celadon, gray, and white. The old crackled ware 
 was highly prized in Borneo and other islands of the 
 Eastern Archipelago as far east as Ceram, and it fig- 
 ures largely among the relics of ancient Chinese por- 
 celain brought to our museums from these parts. 
 
 The Ting yao was made at Ting-chou in the prov- 
 ince of Chihli. The main out-turn was white, but one 
 variety was dark reddish brown, and another, very 
 rare, as black as lacquer. The white was of two classes : 
 the first called Pai Ting, or Fen Ting, being as white 
 as flour; the second called T'u Ting, of a yellowish 
 clayey tint. This porcelain, of delicate resonant body, 
 invested with a soft-looking fluent glaze of ivory-white 
 tone, is probably more common in collections than 
 any other of the Sung wares. The bowls and dishes 
 
 Ivii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 were often fired bottom upwards, and the delicate 
 rims, left unglazed, were afterwards mounted with 
 copper rims to preserve them from injury. Some were 
 clothed in plain white, the glaze collecting outside in 
 tear-drops; others were engraved at the point in the 
 paste, with ornamental patterns; a third class was im- 
 pressed inside with intricate and elaborate designs in 
 pronounced relief, the principal ornamental motives 
 being the tree peony, lily flowers, and flying phoenixes. 
 
 The Lung-ch'uan yao, which comes next for notice, 
 is the far-famed celadon ware made at this time in the 
 province of Chekiang, the ch'ing t^'u, or "green por- 
 celain "par excellence, of the Chinese, the seiji of the 
 Japanese, the martabani of the Arabs and Persians. 
 There is a lordly pile of literature on the "celadon 
 question" in all its bearings, and the field, interesting as 
 it is, can hardly be labored further here. The Lung- 
 ch'uan porcelain of the Sung dynasty is distinguished 
 by its bright grass-green hue, which the Chinese liken 
 to fresh onion sprouts, a more pronounced color 
 than the grayish-green, or "sea-green," of later cela- 
 dons. 
 
 The Chun yao was a kind of faience made at Chiin- 
 chou, now Yii-chou, in the province of Honan. The 
 glazes were remarkable for their brilliancy and for their 
 manifold varieties of color, especially the transmu- 
 tation flambes, composed of flashing reds, passing 
 through every intermediate shade of purple to pale 
 blue, which have hardly been equalled since. The 
 great variety of glaze colors turned out here in for- 
 mer times may be gathered from a list of old Chiin- 
 chou pieces sent down from the palace to be repro- 
 duced at the imperial potteries at Ching-te-chen in 
 the reign of Yung-cheng, the list comprising (i) rose 
 crimson, (2) pyrus japonica pink, (3) aubergine purple, 
 (4) plum color, (5) mule's liver mixed with horse's 
 lung, (6) dark purple, (7) yellow-millet color (mi-se), 
 
 Iviii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 (8) sky blue, (9) furnace transmutations (yao-pieri), 
 or flambes. These were all reproduced in due course 
 during the first half of the eighteenth century on por- 
 celain, and the new white body was in marked contrast, 
 we are told, with the sandy, ill-levigated paste of the 
 original pieces. 
 
 The only remaining porcelain ware of the Sung dy- 
 nasty which requires a word of notice is the Cbien yao, 
 produced in the province of Fuhkien, where the black- 
 enamelled cups with spreading sides, so highly appre- 
 ciated for the tea ceremonial of the time, were made. 
 The lustrous black coat of these cups was speckled and 
 dappled all over with spots of silvery white, simulating 
 the fur of a hare or the breast of a gray partridge, 
 hence the names of "hare's fur cups," and "partridge 
 cups," given them by connoisseurs. These little 
 tea cups were valued also by the Japanese at immense 
 prices, and were mounted by them with silver rims and 
 cunningly pieced together when broken with gold 
 lacquer. 
 
 The more recent Chien yao, it must be noted, which 
 has been fabricated since the time of the Ming dynasty 
 at Te-hua, in the same province, is altogether different 
 from the Chien yao of the Sung which has just been 
 described, being the velvety white porcelain sometimes 
 known as blanc de Chine. 
 
 MING DYNASTY (1368-1643) 
 
 The Ming dynasty is famous in the annals of Chinese 
 ceramic art, which made such great advances under 
 its rule that in the reign of Wan-li, as the native 
 writers say, there was nothing that could not be made 
 of porcelain. 
 
 lix
 
 MARKS AND SEALS 
 
 THE marks on Chinese pottery and porcelain 
 may be conveniently classified under the 
 headings: 
 
 1. Marks of date: a, regnal; b, cyclical. 
 
 2. Hall-marks. 
 
 3. Marks of dedication and good wishes. 
 
 4. Marks in praise of the piece inscribed. 
 
 5. Symbols and other pictorial marks. 
 
 6. Potter's marks. 
 
 The following lists are not intended to be exhaustive, 
 being only a selection of such marks as are likely to be 
 most useful to the collector. For fuller lists I may 
 perhaps be permitted to refer the inquirer to my 
 "Oriental Ceramic Art," a copy of which is at hand 
 for reference in the Library of the Museum. 
 
 I. MARKS OF DATE 
 
 The Chinese have two methods of indicating a date. 
 First, by the nien-hao, or name given to the reign of an 
 emperor; second, by a cycle of sixty years. The nien- 
 hao is selected for the regnal title after the emperor 
 has ascended the throne and dates from the beginning 
 of the first new year after his accession. It is an 
 epithet of good augury culled from some classical text, 
 
 lx
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 like the title of the reigning emperor Kuang-hsti, 
 which means "Inherited Lustre." The regnal title 
 was frequently changed under the older dynasties, but 
 since the accession of the Ming dynasty in 1368, there 
 has been only one instance of such a change, when the 
 emperor Cheng-t'ung returned after seven years of 
 exile and changed the nien-hao to T'ien-shun. 
 
 Chinese, it is well known, is read from right to left, 
 and from above downwards. The "six-character 
 mark" is usually written in two columns, composed as 
 follows : Two characters signifying the dynasty, two 
 the nien hao, and two more meaning 
 "period" and "made." This is a six-char- j& 4- 
 acter mark of the Emperor Hsiian-te. It 
 reads Ta Ming Hsiian-te nien chih (Great jfc 
 Ming Hsuan-te period made). But it is ~ 
 occasionally written in one horizontal line, i|j 
 as seen in several of the Ming pieces in the ^* ~""~ 
 collection. The "four -character mark" has the dy- 
 nasty omitted, so that it commences with the nien- 
 hao. The seals are similar combinations of characters, 
 but penciled in an archaic script, commonly known as 
 the seal character. The third form of Chinese writing, 
 the "grass text," or cursive hand, is seldom seen except 
 in potters' marks impressed on Fuchien white 
 porcelain. 
 
 a. REGNAL DATES 
 
 The regnal titles usually found are: 
 
 MING DYNASTY 
 
 HUNG WU CHIEN-WEN YUNG LO 
 
 (1368-1398) (1399-1402) (1403-1424) 
 
 Ixi
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 HSUAN TE 
 (1426-1435) 
 
 CH'ENG HUA 
 
 (1465-1487) 
 
 CH'ENG HUA 
 (1465-1487) 
 
 A 
 
 HUNG CHIH 
 (1488-1505) 
 
 A 
 
 
 CHENG TE 
 
 (1506-1521) 
 
 CHIA CHING 
 (1522-1566) 
 
 A 
 
 LUNG CH ING 
 (1567-1572) 
 
 A 
 
 WAN LI 
 (1573-1619) 
 
 A 
 
 T'IEN CH'I 
 (1621-1627) 
 
 Ixii 
 
 CH UNG CHEN 
 (1628-1643^1
 
 t 
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 MANCHU, OR CH'ING DYNASTY 
 
 rtn 
 
 SHUN CHIH 
 (1644-1661) 
 
 A 
 
 am 
 
 K ANG HSI 
 (1662-1722) 
 
 it A 
 
 * 
 
 
 YUNG CH^NG 
 
 
 ruil 
 
 CH I EN LUNG 
 (1736-1795) 
 
 J&] -. SKEf 
 
 Tffif t i>ohai 
 
 YUNG CHENG CH'lEN LUNG 
 Made by order of (1736-1795) 
 the Emperor (j>u) 
 
 mm 
 
 CHIA CH ING 
 (1796-1820) 
 
 in 
 
 TAO KUANG 
 (1821-1850) 
 
 Ixiii 
 
 
 HSIEN FNG 
 (1851-1861)
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 T UNO CHIH 
 
 (1862-1874) 
 
 KUANG HSU 
 1875 (reigning emperor) 
 
 . CYCLICAL DATES 
 
 In the first of the four figured below (Ch'eng-hua, 
 first year) and the last (Tung-chili, twelfth year), 
 the cyclical date is added to the regnal year. The sec- 
 ond, which occurs on early famille rose pieces, indicates 
 the recurrence of the cyclical date under K'ang-hsi, 
 who reigned over sixty years. The third is doubtful, 
 in that the number of the cycle is omitted. The pres- 
 ent cycle, which began in 1864, is reckoned the y6th in 
 the Chinese official scheme of chronology, and the 
 porcelain with this mark was referred to the 74th cycle 
 from its style and decoration. 
 
 fl 
 
 Cyclical Year 
 i-yu 
 ("465) 
 
 Cyclical Year 
 
 bsin cb'ou recurring 
 
 (1721) 
 
 Cyclical Year 
 ping bsu 
 (,766?) 
 
 Cyclical Year 
 kuei yu 
 (1873) 
 
 2. HALL MARKS 
 
 There are many varieties of hall marks in which 
 the characters fang (hall), chil (retreat), chai (pavil- 
 ion), and the like occur. They usually indicate the 
 
 Ixiv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 factory; but some represent the studio, or nom de 
 plume, of the artist-decorator; and others the hall of 
 the person for whom the porcelain has been made, or 
 the imperial pavilion for which it was destined. A 
 curious example of the last kind is found below, in- 
 scribed Ta Ya Chai (Pavilion of Grand Culture), the 
 name of one of the new palaces of the Empress Dow- 
 ager at Peking, in connection with her motto T'ien ti 
 yi chia ch'un, (Springtime in heaven and earth one 
 family), which is framed with a pair of dragons pur- 
 suing the flaming jewel of omnipotence. The next 
 seal mark, taken from a large circular dish, decorated 
 in colors with Imperial dragons and storks, gives the 
 name of the principal palace of the Empress Dowager; 
 and the following taken from a round box for seal 
 vermilion of the reign of Chia-ch'ing (1796-1820), is 
 inscribed with the palace hall devoted to the meetings of 
 the Hanlin College. 
 
 m 
 
 f 
 
 CH'iJ SHUN MEI Yi) 
 
 T'ANG CHIH 
 "Made at the Ch'ii Shun 
 (Abundant Prosperity) 
 Hall of Beautiful Jade" 
 
 TA SHU T'ANG CHIH 
 
 "Made at the Big 
 
 Tree Hall" 
 
 CH'IYU T'ANG CHIH 
 "Made at the Rare 
 Jade Hall" 
 
 I YU T ANG CHIH 
 
 'Made at the Ductile 
 
 Jade Hall" 
 
 I YU TANG CHIH YANG HO T ANG CHIH 
 
 " Made at the Hall of " Made at the Hall for the 
 
 Profit and Prosperity" Cultivation of Harmony" 
 
 Ixv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 f * 
 
 
 SHN TE T'ANG CHIH 
 
 "Made at the Hall of 
 
 Careful Virtue" 
 
 YU CHAI 
 "The Quiet Pavilion' 
 
 TS'AI JUN T'ANG CHIH 
 
 "Made at the Hall of 
 Brilliant Colors" 
 
 YUAN WEN wu KUO 
 
 CHIH CHAI 
 
 "Pavilion where I wish 
 to hear of my faults" 
 
 LU YI TANG 
 
 "The Hall of Waving 
 Bamboos" 
 
 P 
 
 IS 
 
 e 
 /a jo 
 
 CHU SHIH CHU HSIEH CHU TSAO HSIEH CHU CHU 
 
 "The Red Rock " Made for the Hsieh J EN TSAO 
 Retreat" Bamboos" "Made for the 
 
 Lord of the Hsieh 
 Bamboos" 
 
 WAN SHIH CHU 
 
 "The Myriad 
 Rocks Retreat" 
 
 4 
 
 JJ 
 
 SHU FU 
 
 "Imperial Palace" 
 Mark of the Yuan 
 dynasty (1280-1367) 
 
 TA YA CHAI 
 
 Hall-mark and Motto 
 
 of the reigning Empress 
 
 Dowager (see above) 
 
 Ixvi 
 
 KU YUEH HSUAN CHIH 
 "Made at the Ancient 
 Moon Terrace." ijth 
 century mark on glass
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 CH'U HSIU RUNG CHIH 
 " Made for the Ch'u Hsiu Rung, the prin- 
 cipal palace of the Empress Dowager" 
 
 MU CH IN TIEN 
 
 ' Palace Hall of Great 
 Diligence" 
 
 3. MARKS OF DEDICATION AND GOOD WISHES 
 
 A 
 
 TA CHI 
 'Great Good- 
 luck" 
 
 &&. 
 
 WAN SHOU WU CHIANG 
 
 "A myriad ages never 
 
 ending" 
 
 &l 
 
 a 
 
 YUNG CH ING 
 CH'ANG CH'UN 
 " Ever flourish- 
 ing, enduring 
 spring!" 
 
 FU LU SHOU 
 
 " Happiness, Rank 
 and Longevity" 
 
 CH'ANG MING FU KUEI FU KUEI CH'ANG CH'UN 
 " Long Life, Riches, and " Riches, Honor and 
 Honor!" Enduring Spring!" 
 
 Ixvii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 
 CHANG SHAN TOU CHlNG 
 
 SHOU 
 
 CHI HSIANG JU I 
 
 "Scholarship high as 
 the mountains and the 
 Great Bear!" 
 
 "Congratu- "Longevity" "Good fortune and 
 lations" A curious form, fulfilment of wishes" 
 known in Hol- 
 land as the Spider 
 mark 
 
 SHOU TI NAN SHAN, 
 
 FU JU TUNG HAI 
 ' Long-lived as the Southern 
 hills, happy as the Eastern 
 
 RUNG MING FU KUEI, 
 
 HUNG FU CH'I T'IEN 
 
 "A famous name, riches and honor, 
 
 abounding happiness reaching 
 
 to heaven!" 
 
 T HUA CH'ANG CH'UN. 
 "Virtue, Culture, and En- 
 during Spring" 
 
 WAN LI NIEN TSAO 
 
 "Made in the reign of 
 
 Wan Li" 
 
 CHIH 
 
 " By Imperial 
 Order" 
 
 SHAUNG HSI 
 " D o u bl e, or 
 Wedded joy" 
 Inscribed on 
 bridal presents 
 
 BARAGON 
 
 TUMED 
 " For the 
 Princess of 
 the West 
 Wing of the 
 Turned Mon- 
 golian B a n- 
 ners". 
 
 Ixviii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 4. MARKS IN PRAISE OF THE PIECE INSCRIBED 
 
 YU KU WEN CHEN 
 
 'Jade" "Ancient" "Artistic" "Precious, a Gem" 
 
 CHEN YU CH'l YU PAO TING CHIH CHEN WAN YU 
 
 'True Jade" "A Gem among precious "Trinket Jade' 
 
 vessels of rare jade" 
 
 YA WAN CH'l SHIH PAO TING CHIH CHEN CHEN WAN 
 
 "Artistic "A gem among precious vessels " Precious 
 
 Trinket" of rare stone" Trinket" 
 
 w) 
 
 CH'l CHEN JU YU TSAI CH*U AN CHIH LO 
 
 1 Rare and precious Jade" "I know that they (i. e. fishes) 
 
 rejoice in the water" 
 
 Ixix
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 SHAN KAO, SHUI CHANG HSI CH'AO CHI WAN CHIH CH^N 
 "The mountains are high, "A gem among rare trinkets 
 
 the rivers long" of a joyful reign" 
 
 5. SYMBOLS AND OTHER PICTORIAL MARKS 
 
 The Chinese have a special fancy for devices, and use 
 them in conventional groups for the decoration of por- 
 celain as well as, singly, as marks. They may be con- 
 veniently arranged in five sub-divisions: 
 
 (a.) Symbols of ancient Chinese lore. The eight tri- 
 grams of divination (pa kua), and the dualistic 
 yin-yang symbol. The eight musical instruments 
 (pa yiri). The twelve ornaments (shib-erb chang) 
 embroidered on sacrificial robes. 
 
 (b.) Buddhist Symbols. The eight emblems of happy 
 augury (pa chi bsiang). The seven parapher- 
 nalia (ch'i pad) of a chakravartin, or universal 
 sovereign. 
 
 (c.) Taoist Symbols. The eight attributes (pa an 
 bsien) of the immortal genii, vi%., the fan with 
 which Chung-li Ch'iian revives the souls of the 
 dead; the sword of supernatural power wielded 
 by Lli Tung-pin; the magic pilgrim' s-gourd of Li 
 T'ieh-kuai; the castanets of Ts'ao Kuo-ch'iu; the 
 basket of flowers carried by Lan Ts'ai-ho; the 
 bamboo tube and rods of Chang Kuo; the flute of 
 Han Hsiang Tzu; the lotus-flower of Ho Hsien Ku. 
 A multitude of emblems of longevity, the sum- 
 mum bonum of the Taoist, such as the deer, tor- 
 toise and stork; the hare, pounding the elixir 
 vitce in the moon; the pine, bamboo, and prunus; 
 
 Ixx
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 the peach as the "fruit of life," and the sacred 
 
 magic fungus (Polyporus lucidas), etc. 
 (d.) The hundred antiques (po ku), including the 
 
 eight precious objects (pa -pad], and the four fine 
 
 arts music, chess, calligraphy, and painting (ch'in 
 
 ch'i shu hud}, 
 (e.) Devices intended to be read in " Rebus" fashion 
 
 (see below). Two sets of eight which have just 
 
 been referred to follow in due order. 
 
 PA PAO. THE EIGHT PRECIOUS THINGS 
 
 CHU 
 
 A Jewel 
 
 CH'IEN FANG-SHENG 
 
 A " cash" A Lozenge, symbol of victory 
 
 SHU 
 A Pair of Books 
 
 HUA 
 
 A Painting 
 
 CH ING 
 
 A Hanging Musical 
 Stone of Jade 
 
 CHUEH 
 
 A Pair of Rhinoceros- 
 horn Cups 
 
 Ixxi 
 
 AI-YEH 
 
 An Artemisia Leaf
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 PA CHI-HSIANG. THE EIGHT BUDDHIST EMBLEMS OF 
 HAPPY AUGURY 
 
 LUN LO SAN 
 
 Wheel, enveloped in flames A Conch-Shell State Umbrella 
 
 YU 
 A Pair of Fish 
 
 CHANG 
 
 "Entrails." An Endless 
 Knot 
 
 The Swastika Symbol 
 
 inclosed in a lozenge, 
 
 with fillets 
 
 TING 
 
 Four-legged Incense 
 Burner 
 
 Ixxii 
 
 FU 
 
 One of the 12 ancient 
 
 embroidery orna- 
 
 aients
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 LIEN HUA CHIAO YEH LING CHIH 
 
 'Lotus Blossom" A "palm-leaf" with fillets The "sacred fungus' 
 
 MEI HUA 
 
 A sprig of prunus within a double ring 
 
 T U 
 
 The " hare" of mythology 
 
 FU SHOU SHANG CH'OAN 
 A bat and two peaches. A "rebus" 
 reading "Happiness and longevity 
 both complete ! " 
 
 PI TING JU I 
 
 A brush-pencil, a cake of ink, and a 
 
 jade sceptre. A "rebus" reading 
 
 " May it be fixed as you wish ! " 
 
 6. POTTERS' MARKS 
 
 Potters' marks are comparatively rare in China, al- 
 though very common in Japan. The first of the three 
 which follow is taken from an archaic crackle vase of 
 grayish tone decorated with colored glazes of the Ming 
 period: it is read in inverse fashion from left to right. 
 The next two are marks stamped in the dark brown 
 paste of characteristic flambe vases of Kuang-yao pot- 
 
 Ixxiii
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 tery, which are sometimes from their archaic aspect mis- 
 taken for productions of the Sung dynasty: the marks 
 record the names of two potters, probably brothers, 
 who are said to have lived early in the eighteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 The last potter's mark* is taken from an eggshell 
 tea-cup in the collection, and gives the name and birth- 
 place of the artist, Yii-feng, being the ancient name of 
 the modern city of K'un-shan, Hsien, in the province of 
 Kiang-su. His studio name is inscribed on the accom- 
 panying saucer, being Yu Chai, or "Quiet Pavilion" 
 (see above, p. Ixvi). 
 
 WUCHfcN HSIEN YAO KOMINGHSIANGCHIH KO YUAN HSINGCHIH 
 " Pottery of Wu "Made by Ko "Made by Ko 
 
 Chen-hsien" Ming-hsiang" Yuan-hsiang" 
 
 YU FNG YANG LIN 
 
 " Yang Lin of Yu-feng" 
 
 The seals and marks given above are generally in- 
 scribed underneath the feet of the pieces. There is 
 another series often attached to inscriptions, forming 
 part of the decoration on the body of the vase, these 
 
 *Q. Burlington Magazine August and September, 1906. 
 
 Ixxiv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 inscriptions being usually tags of verse on the subject 
 illustrated, or perhaps the signature and date of the 
 artist who has painted the scene. For example, the 
 decorator of the vase (No. 865) of the highest quality 
 painted with transparent enamels of great beauty dates 
 his work: "A fortunate day in the shang-buan dec- 
 ade of a summer month in the cyclical year hsin mao," 
 which would correspond to A.D. 1711 of our calendar, 
 as it is certainly a production of the K'ang-hsi period. 
 The superb eggshell vases, Nos. 464, 465, which have 
 been correctly referred to the reign of Yung-cheng, are 
 inscribed with the date, locality, and studio name of 
 the artist, who worked, he tells us, at the Chin Shui 
 T'ing, or "Water-side Arbour," by the Pearl River, in 
 the cyclical year chi yu, i.e., A.D. 1729. 
 
 The next inscription occurs on the inside of a rose- 
 backed eggshell plate in the collection 
 which has been illustrated in the ar- 3$ 
 
 tide of the Burlington Magazine, just (Qii) & 
 
 cited. It reads "A Ling Nan (Canton) 
 painting," with the studio name of 
 the artist attached. This artist's sig- LI A N ,? NAN " UI CH f 
 
 , r . , "A Canton Painting 
 
 nature is known from other sources, (si gne d) Tai sbib 
 and his date may be gathered from "White Rock 
 the inscription on a saucer of similar (Studio)" 
 
 style, etched by Jules Jacquemart, 
 for his brother's Histoire de la Porcelaine (PI. VIII, 
 Fig. 3), which is headed the cyclical year Cbia Cb'en, 
 i.e., A.D. 1724, the second year of the reign of the em- 
 peror Yung-cheng. 
 
 The last inscription for which we have room is also 
 written, within a foliated panel, in the midst of the 
 blue and white decoration. It is remarkable for its 
 length, as well as for its intrinsic interest, and is taken 
 from a pair of portly blue and white pricket candle- 
 sticks, two and a third feet high, in my own possess- 
 ion, part of a wu kung altar set, which was specially 
 
 Ixxv
 
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 made in 1741 as an ex voio offering for a Taoist temple 
 near Peking by Tang Ying, the celebrated director of 
 the imperial porcelain manufactory at Ching-te-chen. 
 
 "Reverently made by T'ang Ying of Shen-yang, a Junior Sec- 
 retary of the Imperial Household, and Captain of the Banner, pro- 
 moted five honorary grades, Chief Superintendent of Works in the 
 palace Yang Hsin Tien, Imperial Commissioner in charge of the 
 three Customs stations of Huai, Su, and Hai, in the province of 
 Kiangnan, also Director of the Porcelain Manufactory, and Com- 
 missioner of Customs at Kiu Kiang, in the province of Kiangsi; 
 and presented by him to the Temple of the Holy Mother of the 
 God of Heaven at Tungpa, to remain there through time everlast- 
 ing for offering sacrifices before the altar; on a fortunate day in 
 the spring of the sixth year of the Emperor Ch'ien-lung." 
 
 S. W. B. 
 
 Ravensholt, Harrow-on-the-Hill, 
 20 November, 1906
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Preface to this Edition . . . by W. M. L. . . v 
 
 Preface to the First Edition . by W. M. L. . . vii 
 
 Historical Introduction . . by S. W. B. . . xxi 
 
 Table of Contents Ixxvii 
 
 Catalogue i
 
 CATALOGUE
 
 CATALOGUE 
 
 CASE A 
 
 1,2. TWO CLUB-SHAPED VASES. With folia- 
 ted white reserves containing five-colored decoration 
 of flowers, blossoms, etc., in the style acquired in China 
 by Kakiyemon, the Japanese potter, and followed in 
 European porcelain since the beginning of the seven- 
 teenth century. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 3, 4. TWO FLASK-SHAPED VASES with expand- 
 ing cylindrical necks. With reserves containing five- 
 colored floral decoration in brilliant transparent enam- 
 els. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io l /& inches. 
 
 5, 6. TWO BOTTLES with bulbous necks. With 
 reserves containing five-colored decoration of flowers, 
 blossoms, etc. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 7 to 12. GARNITURE OF SIX POWDER-BLUE 
 VASES, four cylindrical, club-shaped, and two ovoid 
 with Mandarin covers. With reserves containing 
 landscapes, arrangements of flowers, plants, birds,
 
 CASE A] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 insects, household ornaments, and figures, all drawn 
 with great delicacy and skill, and in the same enamel 
 which is used for the ground. In all these powder- 
 blue vases the blue is of the finest cobalt known in the 
 early K'ang-hsi period, when the industry was re- 
 vived at Ching-te-chen under the Tartar dynasty. The 
 name powder-blue is derived from the powdered 
 or spotted quality of the ground, which is produced 
 by blowing the liquid color on by means of a bamboo 
 tube, or primitive atomizer, the white reserves being 
 obtained by pieces of paper cut in the desired shape 
 and pasted on the body. The paste is a fine, pure, 
 dense white porcelain. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i Sand 1 6 inches. 
 
 (PLATE II) 
 
 13 to 18. SIX TRIPLE GOURDS with trumpet 
 mouths. With reserves of various shapes containing 
 decorations in five-colored transparent enamels of 
 flowers, plants, blossoms, household ornaments, etc., 
 on a powder-blue ground overlaid with gold diaper 
 ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 and S^ inches. 
 
 19,20. TWO CLUB-SHAPED VASES. Fine 
 white porcelain; reserves containing beautifully drawn 
 decoration in brilliant cobalt. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 CASE B 
 
 i to 4. GARNITURE OF FOUR CYLINDRICAL 
 VASES with flaring mouths. Decoration of horizontal 
 bands of various ornament in brilliant cobalt. 
 
 Height 1 1 >2 inches.
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE B 
 
 5 to 8. FOUR HAWTHORN VASES OR GIN- 
 GER-JARS, of which the one with a wooden cap is 
 known as the Blenheim vase, having come from the 
 Marlborough collection. The ground of each is of the 
 deepest and most brilliant cobalt, broken up into an 
 arbitrary pattern known as "cracked ice," upon which 
 is picked out in the pure white of the glazed surface a 
 graceful decoration of so-called hawthorn blossoms, 
 being actually the flower of the mei or winter-blooming 
 plum-tree. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xi) 
 
 9 to 12. FOUR OVOID JARS with caps. Fine 
 white porcelain with a decoration in brilliant cobalt 
 of linked medallions and bands of ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6% inches. 
 
 13 to 16. FOUR SPHERICAL BOTTLES with cy- 
 lindrical necks. With a decoration in brilliant cobalt. 
 These are copies made in China of a piece of Delft 
 which in its turn had been modelled after a Chinese 
 original, but with a distinctly Dutch quality in the exe- 
 cution. The fidelity of the Chinese artist's copy is 
 unimpeachable. On the foot is an enigmatical mark 
 resembling a misshapen D or G, and which has been 
 conjectured to be a copy of a mark on the Dutch orig- 
 inal. The late Philippe Sichel, a great authority, 
 claimed that the mark was a D, and stood for Delft. 
 The paste is of fine quality, and dense and heavy. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 and 7^ inches. 
 (PLATE vin) 
 
 17, 1 8. TWO BOTTLES with sloping shoulders 
 and slender, flaring necks. Intricate and delicately 
 drawn decoration of floral ornament in cobalt. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 5
 
 THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 CASE C 
 
 i to 4. FOUR LARGE BOTTLES with tall, wide 
 necks. A closely woven decoration of chrysanthe- 
 mum-pattern in dark, lustrous cobalt on a brilliant 
 white ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 (PLATE ix) 
 
 5 to 7. THREE COVERED BOWLS. With groups 
 in high relief in biscuit (formerly painted and gilt) 
 of the Pa Hsien or eight Immortals. Decoration in 
 blue of landscapes with figures and floral ornament. 
 Early sixteenth century; probably reign of Chia-ching 
 (1522-1566). Diameter 6 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xvi) 
 
 8. SMALL BOWL with contracted rim. Decora- 
 tion of floral ornament in brilliant blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 9, 10. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES, semi-egg- 
 shell, with wide, flaring lips. Two large reserves, with 
 borders in relief, supported upon a geometrical or fish- 
 roe ground, drawn in black underneath the blue, and 
 thickly sprinkled with butterflies and flowers modelled 
 in low relief in the brilliant white paste. In the re- 
 serves are alternately an elaborately drawn landscape 
 and the figure of one of the immortals, Lan Ts'ai-ho, 
 bearing a lotus in one hand, and standing upon her 
 frail tree-trunk bark, which floats upon the stream 
 or among the clouds. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 14^ inches. 
 
 ii. OVOID VASE, semi-egg-shell, with wide mouth 
 and short neck. Two large reserves with borders in 
 relief, supported upon a geometrical or fish-roe ground, 
 
 6
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE C 
 
 thickly sprinkled with butterflies and floral ornament 
 modelled in low relief in the brilliant white paste; the 
 ground drawn in black underneath the blue. Shou 
 marks and floral ornament on the top. The reserves 
 are decorated with landscapes. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height I5K inches. 
 
 12. QUADRILATERAL VASE, with cylindrical 
 foot, dome-shaped top, and rectangular modelled bars 
 in relief on the sides. The ground decorated with 
 a closely woven chrysanthemum-pattern drawn in 
 black upon the biscuit and submerged in blue under- 
 neath the glaze. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 14^ inches. 
 
 I2A. BOWL. A tazza-shaped blue and white bowl 
 decorated in Lamaistic style with conventional floral 
 sprays and tasselled strings of beads. In the intervals 
 of the floral decoration an eight-worded formula or 
 spell, of Buddhist origin is written in debased Sanskrit 
 characters. Bowls of this form called pa wan, "han- 
 dled bowl," are used for offerings of shewbread and 
 fruit on the altar. 
 
 Under the foot is a seal mark of six characters in a 
 horizontal line reading: Ta Cb'ingCb'ien-lung nien cbib. 
 (Made in the reign of Ch'ien lung [A. D. 1736-1795] of 
 the Great Ch'ing [dynasty].) Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 13, 14. TWO BOTTLES with tall, slender necks. 
 Decoration of dragons with fire-emblems and floral 
 ornament in brilliant blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 15, 1 6. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with covers. 
 Decoration of chrysanthemum-pattern in brilliant 
 deep blue.
 
 CASE Cj THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 Mark: A leaf of artemisia with ribbon. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE x) 
 
 17, 1 8. TWO DOUBLE BOTTLES with twisted 
 necks. Decoration of plants, flowers, and leafage in 
 brilliant blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 CASE D 
 
 1. LARGE BEAKER VASE. Decorated in bril- 
 liant enamel colors and gold of the K'ang-hsi period 
 with a Taoist scene, "the immortal genii worshipping 
 the god of longevity" (Chu Hsien Ching Shou). 
 
 The god of longevity is seen above, seated on a crane 
 flying through the clouds, attended by an acolyte 
 holding his staff with scroll and gourd tied to it. The 
 group standing on his right hand include the star 
 god of happiness, with an open scroll inscribed Fu 
 in gold, and the star god of rank, with Lu brocaded on 
 his robes, both attended by acolytes. The motley 
 group of worshippers gathered round the sides of the 
 vase, to be recognized by their attributes, include 
 most of the members of the Taoist pantheon. Two 
 gigantic pines spread across from the background to 
 over-shadow the scene with foliage of shaded greens. 
 Mark: (fictitious) Ta Ming CVeng-hua nien chih, 
 encircled by a double ring. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 27 inches. 
 
 2. HEXAGONAL ARROW-RECEPTACLE AND 
 STAND. Decorated with floral sprays in the midst of 
 which project the typical forms of two lizard-like 
 dragons (chih-lung) with branches of sacred fungus in 
 their mouths, worked in salient relief on the sides of the 
 
 8
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE D 
 
 vase. The panels reserved in the floral grounds are 
 filled with figures from Taoist mythology and literary 
 history, which are enumerated in order in the inscription 
 of verse in the three upper panels. The panels give 
 pictures of Tung-Fang So riding the clouds, carrying on 
 his shoulder the branch of peaches which he has stolen 
 from the tree of life in paradise; Li T'ai-po, the cele- 
 brated poet, reclining beside his wine jar; the scholar 
 watching a pair of butterflies; the woodman of Chinese 
 story; besides pictures of ladies, playing boys with 
 symbols, storks and pines, flowers and birds, a land- 
 scape with the usual two aged pilgrims, etc. The low- 
 est six panels contain the eight genii (Pa Hsien), ar- 
 ranged so as to be framed in niches formed by the open 
 sides of the pedestal. The inscriptions have fanciful 
 seals attached, of which Shan (the hills are everlast- 
 ing) is one. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 30 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xix) 
 
 3. TALL CYLINDRICAL VASE with short neck 
 and spreading lip. The battle scene painted on this 
 magnificent K'ang-hsi vase is difficult to identify. A 
 walled city is being assaulted and defended by a sortie 
 of armed horsemen, directed by a generalissimo of 
 three armies who is standing with his staff on the city 
 wall with a state umbrella held over his head. The 
 attacking force is under the command of a magician 
 riding on a lion, who is conjuring a flock of birds from 
 the blazon of his shield, and has tigers and gigantic 
 wolves under his command, and a savage brandishing 
 two clubs, but who, in spite of this motley array, is be- 
 ing driven back by the imperial troops. The shoul- 
 der of the vase is decorated with a brocaded band in- 
 terrupted by panels filled with birds and flowers. 
 The neck is painted with Taoist genii crossing the 
 cosmic sea on whelk and tortoise, among whom Liu
 
 CASE D] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 Han, with his familiar three-legged toad, is conspicuous. 
 
 Mark: A double ring pencilled in blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 29^ inches. 
 
 4. INVERTED PEAR-SHAPED VASE with beak- 
 er neck, spreading lip and base. On opposite sides of 
 the body two Imperial yellow-breasted phoenixes, 
 with purple and green wings and red crests, stand on 
 green rocks, from behind which spring red, buff, and 
 rose-colored peonies with green and purple leaves, 
 and red and pink peach trees in whose branches, which 
 cover the neck, are yellow finches with purple wings. 
 Painted in brilliant enamel colors on fine translucent 
 white porcelain, and probably originally destined for 
 a ground-work in black enamel. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Cb'eng-bua nien chih (Made in the 
 reign of Cheng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). 
 [ 1 465-1 487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xvm) 
 
 5, 6. TWO LARGE ARMORIAL PLATES. Fine 
 white porcelain with brilliant decoration in five color 
 enamels of late seventeenth or early eighteenth cen- 
 tury. Made in China to fill an order from Holland, 
 and carrying the armorial bearings of BRABANT. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 16^2 and 14 inches. 
 
 7. LARGE BEAKER, with decoration of peonies 
 and pheasants amid rocks and flowers. Tessellated 
 pattern about the shoulder, and on the neck a design 
 of asters and other flowers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 30 inches. 
 
 CASE E 
 
 1,2. TWO CHIM/ERAS OR LIONS. Decoration 
 
 10
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE E 
 
 in five-color enamels, with bases in geometrical diaper 
 
 and other ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 14 inches. 
 
 3,4. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES. Horizontal 
 bands of red and green with various floral and other 
 ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 5. STATUETTE OF KUAN YIN. Seated on a 
 lotus, bearing a ju-i sceptre and vase, and supported 
 on a hexagonal stand. Rich five-color decoration 
 with reserves containing various ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxv) 
 
 6, 7. TWO PHEASANTS. Rich and elaborate dec- 
 oration of plumage in polychrome and gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 19 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxvni) 
 
 8. LU-HSING, THE GOD OF RANK: SEATED. 
 His yellow robe with green cape, is decorated with fly- 
 ing cranes, nebulae, circular medallions containing 
 flowers, and bordered with foaming sea-waves; in his 
 left hand he holds a rose-colored ju-i sceptre. His hat 
 is divided vertically into sections of rose, yellow, and 
 green, and decorated in front with a row of conventional 
 lotus leaves. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxvn) 
 
 9. DUTCH GALLIOT UNDER SAIL. Five-color 
 decoration. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 9^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxn) 
 
 1 1
 
 CASE E] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 10,11. TWO MANDARIN DUCKS. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height nK inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxiv) 
 
 12. FU-HSING, THE GOD OF HAPPINESS: 
 STANDING. On his right arm he carries a boy; the 
 skirt of his green and yellow robe is embroidered with 
 water-dragons in circles, birds, and prunus blossoms; 
 on the waist are dragons and nebulae; his hat is green 
 with a yellow ju-i head decoration. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxvn) 
 
 13. WINE POT IN THE FORM OF THE CHAR- 
 ACTER FU. Five-color decoration of animals, birds, 
 flowers, etc. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxix) 
 
 14. WINE-POT IN THE FORM OF THE CHAR- 
 ACTER SHOU. Green and yellow diaper with re- 
 serves showing Taoist worthies, the spout and handle 
 yellow and black wound bamboo. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxix) 
 
 15. LARGE PLATE. Similar to No. 6, Case D, 
 but with arms of Overysel. 
 
 1 6. LARGE PLATE. Elaborate decoration in 
 eight reserves, with a floral centre. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 22 inches. 
 
 17. WINE POT IN THE FORM OF THE CHAR- 
 
 12
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE E 
 
 ACTER SHOU. Decoration in deep green and black 
 with drawing of Shou Lao. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8>^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxin) 
 
 1 8, 19. TWO COCKS. Crimson crests, white bod- 
 ies, and brilliant plumage on the wings, neck and tail. 
 Standing on aubergine rock. Much copied at Dresden 
 about the middle of the eighteenth century. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 13 inches. 
 
 20. WINE-POT, with cover. Rich five-color deco- 
 ration, with green medallions superposed upon a Shou 
 character in black. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \^% inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLVI) 
 
 CASE F 
 
 1,2. TWO HEXAGONAL LANTERNS. Egg- 
 shell porcelain, crenelated at top and bottom, the 
 reticulated sides supporting medallions, and the whole 
 invested with a rich and elaborate decoration of poly- 
 chrome ornament. The medallions or reserves con- 
 tain beautifully painted designs of figures. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 13^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLIV) 
 
 3. HEXAGONAL LANTERN. Egg-shell porce- 
 lain with delicately reticulated panels supporting me- 
 dallions which are decorated with figure subjects. 
 Polychromatic borders of fine diaper ornament with 
 red chrysanthemums. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 12 inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLIV)
 
 CASE F] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 4,5. TWO OVOID VASES with covers. The Tao- 
 ist divinity figured on these two vases is Hua-Hsien, 
 the goddess of flowers, who carries a basket of flowers 
 on the handle of a hoe, and is accompanied by a female 
 attendant with a vase of flowers and a boy with books, 
 while two storks follow behind. The same personage, 
 by the way, seems to be represented on the semi-egg- 
 shell ovoid vase (No. n) in Case C, traveling through 
 the cosmic sea in a rustic boat, although perhaps Hsi 
 Wang Mu is intended in this case. 
 Seal mark of Chi'en-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 10% inches. 
 (PLATE XLIII) 
 
 6. WHITE EGG-SHELL BOWL with scalloped 
 lip. In the disk inside is a chouan mark of the reign 
 of Yung-lo (1403-1424), and modelled in the paste 
 throughout, but visible only in direct sunlight, are 
 beautifully drawn dragons disporting in the firmament 
 amid cloud-forms and emblems. The paste is trans- 
 lucent and of exquisite fineness. (See introductory 
 notes.) Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 7. ROSE-BACKED EIGHT-BORDERED SAUCER. 
 Decoration: Two ladies and three children with vases, 
 emblems, flowers and fruit. Eight reserves of lotus 
 and peonies alternating with water dragons between 
 bands of green. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 8. 9. TWO GLOBULAR BOTTLES. Two wide- 
 necked bottle-shaped vases brilliantly decorated in 
 shaded greens with red and gold and touches of black. 
 The theme is again that of the fish persevering till 
 it surmounts the rapids of the Yellow River at the Lung 
 Men, or Dragon Gate, and ipso facto becomes transform- 
 ed into an aerial dragon. The fish t a red and gold carp, 
 
 '4
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE F 
 
 is worked in high relief so as to seem to be leaping into 
 space, and the dragons in pursuit of pearls are mod- 
 elled around the neck of the vases in the same salient 
 relief. Among the wave forms are bats and various 
 creatures, together with blossoms, etc. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 14 inches. 
 
 10. SMALL BEAKER, with decoration of flowers, 
 leafage and insects above, landscape and figures in the 
 middle, and floral designs below, in aubergine on an im- 
 perial yellow ground. 
 
 Mark underneath: Six-character mark of Wan-li within 
 
 a double ring. 
 
 Wan-li (1573-1619). Height ioX inches. 
 
 11. BLACK HAWTHORN CYLINDRICAL VASE 
 with broad band at centre. Decoration in black haw- 
 thorn style, supporting red-bqrdered reserves of flower- 
 ing plants, etc. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 12. WRITER'S WATER-CUP. Peach-bloom glaze. 
 Mark: Ta Ch'ing K'ang-hsi nien chih (Made in the 
 reign of K'ang-hsi, of the great Ch'ing dynasty). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 4 inches. 
 
 13 to 21. NINE ROSE-BACKED SEVEN-BOR- 
 DERED PLATES. Egg-shell porcelain. In a rich 
 border of seven distinct bands of decoration, a white 
 leaf-shaped reserve shows in the centre a lady, in light 
 rose jacket, yellow apron, a gold comb 'in her hair, 
 pale-greenish skirt, and yellow-lined black scarf em- 
 broidered in gold, seated in a chair of which the fawn- 
 colored back alone is visible above her left shoulder. 
 She looks down at a bare-legged child in a rose coat, 
 necklet, bracelets, and anklets of gold, who holds a 
 gold ju-i sceptre in his left hand, and stands with his
 
 CASE F] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 right foot on her scarf; on the left another child in 
 light-cobalt jacket and light-rose trousers peeps across 
 her knee at the other and holds a rose lotus flower 
 and green leaf in his right hand. Behind is a large jar 
 tinted in blue and green, with white scrolls and dragons 
 on the body, and beyond it another of brownish red 
 cracked-ice pattern; behind all a pale yellow brown- 
 spotted bamboo table with cobalt-tinted top on which 
 to the right lie two boxes of books with rose and green 
 tops and sides, and a brilliant ultramarine vase with 
 pink and green scrolls, and a white gold-mounted fly- 
 flap; and to the left a gold incense-burner, a purplish 
 vase with two gold-eyed green peacock feathers and 
 a branch of crimson coral and fungus. Outside the 
 gold-grounded centre is a border of black-flowered 
 lozenge on pale green; next, a gold-edged border of 
 deep rose with water-dragons in pale greenish-blue 
 interrupted by four oblong reserves with rounded 
 and indented ends defined in gold and green, each 
 with a lotus flower with scroll leaves in white on a co- 
 balt ground Next is a narrow gold-edged border of 
 delicate black scroll on cafe-au-lait. On the edge a 
 gold-edged pattern of black Y on greenish-blue; next, 
 black-flowered octagon and square pattern on rose, 
 interrupted by four white oblong reserves, the rounded 
 ends bordered with rose, each with a spray of rose 
 camellia, chrysanthemum, peony, or rose camellia, 
 with rose and yellow lotus; midway between these 
 white reserves are four rounded jade-like reserves 
 showing scroll water-dragons incised in the paste. 
 Outside all a border of lotus flowers with scroll leaves 
 in gold on white. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxi) 
 
 22. RUBY-BACKED PLATE. Egg-shell porce- 
 lain. The centre is grounded with black Y-pattern 
 
 16
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE F 
 
 on deep green with a foliated octagonal white reserve 
 each alternate ray being filled with a cobalt-blue- 
 centred red plum flower with green and blue scroll 
 leaves on a gold ground. Excepting for this filling-in 
 of these rays, this plate is similar in design to the 
 foregoing. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 23, 24. TWO EGGSHELL VASES, of ovoid form, 
 with narrow neck and swelling lip. Decorated in bril- 
 liant enamel colors, with Chinese ladies in gay cos- 
 tume, holding flowers or fruit, and children playing 
 a family scene, with tables carrying vases, scroll-pic- 
 tures, pots of flowers, in the background, and the usual 
 details of a cultured interior in China. 
 
 Height 7f inches, diameter 4^2 inches. 
 
 25, 26. TWO SAUCER-SHAPED, ROSE-BACKED 
 DISHES, similar to one in British Museum, which is 
 labeled "Chinese Eggshell Porcelain Dish." Quails 
 and rich borders. Presented by the Hon. Robert 
 Meade, C.B., 1890. 
 
 Diameter 9 inches. 
 
 27, 28. TWO GLOBULAR BOTTLES. Fine white 
 porcelain, with superbly drawn decoration of chrysan- 
 themums in delicate transparent enamels. 
 Mark: Ta Ch'ing Yung-cheng nien chib (Made in the 
 reign of Yung-cheng of the great Ch'ing dynasty). 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 14 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LV) 
 
 CASE G 
 
 i. LARGE PLATE. Fine white porcelain. This is 
 perhaps the most brilliantly decorated and attractive 
 
 17
 
 CASE G] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 dish in the collection. The broad band of floral bro- 
 cade round the border studded with lotus blossoms, 
 alternately white and red, has a wonderfully rich ef- 
 fect, broken, as it is, by foliated panels enclosing dainty 
 pictures of birds, butterflies and grasshoppers. The 
 central scene displays a Taoist divinity with a fly 
 whisk in his hand and a sword slung across his back 
 presumably Lii Tung-pin standing upon a bank of 
 clouds, preceded by one of his myrmidons carrying a 
 sleeping damsel on his back. On the right in an open 
 pavillion filled with books stands a student in official 
 dress, holding a lighted candle in his hand, as he gazes 
 on the celestial apparition. The full moon is shining 
 in the sky, a golden disk, beside the constellations of 
 the "herdsman" and the "spinning damsel," sug- 
 gestive of the reunion of lovers. See Mayer's Chinese 
 Reader s Manual, No. 311 (p. 97). In another varia- 
 tion of this theme, often seen in ceramic art, the stu- 
 dent is represented asleep in his library, with a scroll 
 proceeding from his head and opening out to reveal, 
 as in a dream, a similar vision, in which the myrmidon 
 is perhaps figured with the head and wings of an eagle. 
 Mark: A leaf of artemisia. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 21 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXVI) 
 
 2. LARGE PLATE. Intricate decoration of cen- 
 tral panel surrounded by eight reserves containing 
 various designs of flowers, birds, household objects, 
 ornaments, etc. Exterior ornament of lotus flowers 
 and arabesques. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 24 inches. 
 
 3, 4. TWO PORCELAIN FIGURES, man and 
 woman, made 'for exportation to Holland, the cos- 
 tumes copied from European engravings. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1622-1722). Height 15 inches. 
 
 18
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE G 
 
 5. STATUETTE OF CHEOU-LAU, the god of 
 longevity. Blue and white porcelain. 
 
 Wan-li (1573-1619). Height 20 inches. 
 
 6. STATUETTE OF A PRIEST, his green flow- 
 ing robe covered with Sbou and Fu characters. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 7. 8. TWO PEAR-SHAPED VASES. Various 
 objects depicted on a ground of pale transparent green, 
 flowers and leaves on the neck above a band of red. 
 K'ang-hsi (1622-1722). Height 12^ inches. 
 
 9, 10. TWO SAUCER-SHAPED PLATES, with 
 rose-colored (rouge d'or) back, decorated inside with 
 brilliant enamels and gilding. The decoration con- 
 sists of bands of fine diaper of diverse design; green, 
 pink, yellow, and turquoise-blue grounds, interrupted 
 by formal flowers, enclosing a foliated medallion. The 
 medallion contains a basket-work vase filled with sprays 
 of peony, magnolia, orchids, and other flowers, and 
 a dish of Buddha's-hand citrons. Inscribed Ling nan 
 hui che (A Canton painting) and Pai Shih (White Rock 
 Studio). 
 
 Diameter 6% inches. 
 
 ii to 14. FOUR SAUCER- PLATES, with rose 
 (rouge d'or) back, decorated inside with a pair of cocks 
 in a garden beside a rockery covered with peonies and 
 other flowers. 
 
 Mark underneath: A felicitous couplet Kung mingfu 
 kuei Hungfu ch'i t'ien flanked by outlines of dragons. 
 
 Diameter 6% inches. 
 
 15 to 1 6. PAIR OF CUPS AND SAUCERS. The 
 cups decorated inside with a band of pink diaper en- 
 closing formal flowers of design identical with that of 
 
 19
 
 CASE G] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 No. 2, and a single orchid bloom in the bottom of the 
 cup; outside with delicately diapered grounds inter- 
 rupted by three circular panels filled with separate 
 sprays of peonies, roses and chrysanthemums. The 
 saucers decorated inside with similar grounds of yellow 
 diaper and green basket-work, studded with pink 
 phoenix rosettes, and enclosing three circular panels 
 filled with sprays of peony and narcissus, rose and lily, 
 chrysanthemum and aster. 
 
 Height of cups, \y 2 inches. Diameter 2f inches. 
 
 Diameter of saucers, 4 inches. 
 
 17. BLACK HAWTHORN VASE WITH CAP. 
 Decoration of peonies and leafage upon brilliant black 
 ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16 inches. 
 
 1 8. BLACK HAWTHORN VASE. Decoration of 
 peonies, almond-blossoms and various leafage, with 
 pheasant, insects and green rocks upon a brilliant black 
 ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15 inches. 
 
 CASE H 
 
 i 109. NINE FIGURES: mythological personages. 
 K'ang-hsi (1622-1722). 
 
 10. HEXAGONAL VASE for spills, each panel in 
 pentagonal perforations, with circular reserves bearing 
 floral decorations. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6 inches. 
 
 n, 12. TWO DOGS FU, with elaborate stands and 
 five-color decorations. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 25 inches. 
 
 20
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE H 
 
 13, 14. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES, with spread- 
 ing lips in ormolu rims and stands of ormolu; style of 
 Louis XVI, covered with floral scrolls in white on a 
 vermilion ground, with arabesques in borders and 
 palmations on shoulders and bases, in brilliant red, 
 blue, and green enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 21 inches. 
 
 15, 1 6. TWO DOGS FU. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19 inches. 
 
 17. VASE, with a long, tapering neck and deco- 
 ration in five colors of flowers and various leafage; 
 probably made for Persia, and used to sprinkle rose- 
 water. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 12 inches. 
 
 CASE I 
 
 i. CORNET. Turquoise blue palmations and in- 
 cised decorations in the paste. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height %/4 inches. 
 
 2. BOTTLE. White porcelain invested with a bril- 
 liant glaze of mirror-black which, on close examination, 
 reveals the "ghost" of an elaborate decoration orig- 
 inally applied in gold, but now vanished. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 3. BOTTLE invested with a fine aubergine glaze. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ^ inches. 
 
 4, 5. TWO IMPERIAL YELLOW GALLIPOTS. 
 Fine white porcelain invested with pale yellow trans- 
 parent glaze. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 21
 
 CASE l] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 6. GLOBULAR BOTTLE. Pale turquoise glaze. 
 Ch'ien-luhg (1736-1795). Height i \y z inches. 
 
 7. GALLIPOT. Fine white porcelain invested 
 with pale celadon glaze, through which is seen a floral 
 decoration in low relief beautifully modelled and drawn. 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 6 inches. 
 
 8. GLOBULAR BOTTLE invested with pale 
 apple-green glaze. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1622-1722). Height 6> inches. 
 
 9. SMALL BOTTLE with long neck. Dense white 
 porcelain, invested with pale lavender glaze. 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 8>^ inches. 
 
 10. GLOBULAR BOTTLE. Mustard-yellow 
 crackle. 
 
 Yung-cherig (1723-1735). Height 6 inches. 
 
 11. GLOBULAR BOTTLE invested with a glaze 
 of copper-red over which there has been fired a glaze 
 of dark blue, producing a deep purple effect. 
 
 Mark underneath: Ta Ming Hsiian-te nien cbib (1426- 
 
 1435) [apocryphal]. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 12. GLOBULAR BOTTLE with a wide neck. Cel- 
 adon glaze. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1622-1722). Height 8> inches. 
 
 13. OVOID VASE. Glaze of a pale lavender. 
 Mark underneath: Ta Ching Yung-cheng nien chih. 
 Yung-chng (1723-1735). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 14. RED AND BLACK HAWTHORN VASE, in 
 which the prunus flower appears as red. The decora- 
 
 22
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE I 
 
 tion is of great brilliancy and distinction throughout, 
 the black enamel being superposed on a green ground 
 which is reserved in various parts of the design, as 
 in the rocks, leafage, and branches. Spray of red 
 prunus on the foot. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LIV) 
 
 1 5. BLACK HAWTHORN VASE. Brilliant decor- 
 ation of white met flowers throughout, with birds 
 singing among the branches, the rich black enamel 
 superposed on a green ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 27^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LIII) 
 
 1 6. BLACK HAWTHORN BEAKER VASE. 
 Elaborately decorated with white flowered prunus, 
 with rosy-red limbs and deep green leaves, springing 
 from rocks of varying green, red, and bright purple-blue; 
 above are small birds; the whole in brilliant enamels on 
 black. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 27!^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLVIII) 
 
 17. GREEN HAWTHORN BEAKER. A large 
 prunus-tree with purple branches and white blossoms 
 with yellow centres shoots from behind red and deep- 
 green colored rocks, beyond which grow yellow peonies, 
 and spreads around the vase and neck. Small black 
 and yellow birds are perched in the branches. The 
 ground is a light, dull green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 27 inches. 
 
 CASE J 
 
 i to 3. THREE BOWLS, semi-eggshell. Three re- 
 markable bowls of K'ang-hsi famille verie style, painted 
 
 23
 
 CASE j] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 with characteristic enamels inside as well as outside. 
 One pair enamelled black outside with reserve medal- 
 lions containing sprays of flowers, is marked under- 
 neath with the seal character cb'ing (pure), encircled 
 by a double ring. 
 
 The other bowl of fine quality, decorated outside 
 with orchids and chrysanthemums in peach and leaf- 
 shaped panels, reserved in the black ground inside 
 with sprays of peonies in green and pale purple relieved 
 by a yellow ground, is marked underneath with the 
 seal character/^ (happiness), within a double ring. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 4. GREEN BOWL. Pale sea-green glaze support- 
 ing sprays of magnolia, chrysanthemum, etc. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 5. BEAKER. Pale yellow glaze with flowering 
 prunus, etc. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXIII) 
 
 6. 7. TWO GREEN PARROTS on variegated rocks. 
 One has a white breast dotted with black, and a white 
 bill. The other's breast is streaked and his bill is red. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8^ inches. 
 
 8, 9. TWO BOWLS. Light cafe-au-lait glaze sup- 
 porting four-clawed dragons alternating with phoenixes 
 in pink, green, and red, surrounded by nebulae and 
 fire-emblems. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Ch'eng-hua nien cbib (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). 
 [ 1 465-1 487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 8%" inches. 
 
 10. QUADRILATERAL VASE OR ARROW- 
 STAND in square porcelain socket. The ground is 
 
 24
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE J 
 
 black diaper on pink, with red chrysanthemums and 
 scroll-leaves, interrupted by six white reserves, on 
 front and back, and four on sides, containing emblems, 
 landscapes, birds, and flowers, between which, in high 
 relief, golden lizards crawl among brilliant red ling-cbih 
 with pale green stalks. Round the top is a red trellis 
 border with three flower petals at each corner. 
 
 Round the top of the stand runs a black star border 
 on deep green, interrupted in centres and at each cor- 
 ner by red ju-i heads; below is a gold line and a border 
 of pointed ovals in red on white, and a yellow enam- 
 elled key-pattern in relief. Surrounding the sides and 
 base of the pierced panel are blue lotus flowers on red or 
 green brocaded ground edged with black, and having 
 black ju-i heads at the corners. Twenty greenish-blue 
 ju-i heads in relief on a pink speckled ground surround 
 the base, with red prunus flowers and green leaves, 
 and black ju-i head corners below. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 12% inches. 
 
 11. QUADRILATERAL VASE with flaring neck 
 and base. On two sides are inscriptions in verse, and 
 elsewhere various landscapes on a yellow ground. 
 This rare quadrilateral vase decorated with the same 
 class of enamels as the three bowls i, 2, 3, has the same 
 seal mark ch'ing, attached to the inscription, leading to 
 the inference that it may have been the work of the 
 same hands as the bowls. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 14 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXII) 
 
 12, 13. TWO WINE-POTS with bulbous bodies, 
 tapering necks, and bell covers. White porcelain, 
 divided vertically into panels enclosing flowers in deli- 
 cate enamel colors. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 25
 
 CASE j] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 14. WINE-POT with bulbous body, quadrilateral 
 neck, and phoenix-head spout. White porcelain, di- 
 vided into panels of floral and geometric decoration 
 in delicate colors. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ioX inches. 
 
 15. GLOBULAR BOTTLE with narrow cylindrical 
 neck. White porcelain, chrysanthemum scrolls in 
 brilliant enamel colors. Similar in origin to the blue 
 and white pieces, Nos. 13 to 16, in Case B, and bearing 
 the same mark. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 16. GREEN VASE with dragon handles. Brilliant 
 iridescent green glaze. An elaborate design of dragons, 
 birds, and flowers is incised in the paste under the 
 glaze, and appears like gold when seen in sunlight. 
 This is one of the rarest and finest examples known. 
 It is a Ming piece, and bears underneath the lip, in a 
 white reserve, the mark written horizontally in blue. 
 Mark: Ta Ming Wan-li nien cbib (Made in the reign 
 of Wan-li of the great Ming dynasty). [1573-1619.] 
 
 Height 1 42^ inches. 
 (PLATE LXI) 
 
 17 to 19. THREETRIPLEGOURDS. Chrysanthe- 
 mum scroll in white reserve on a ground of brilliant 
 green enamel; on No. 19 the design is in gold. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i \y 2 and io>^ inches. 
 (PLATE LX) 
 
 20. SEATED FIGURE. In a robe decorated with 
 hexagons of yellow with alternate black stars and dots. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 21,22. TWO OCTAGONAL WINE CUPS. White 
 porcelain, the eight panels decorated with flowers, 
 
 26
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE J 
 
 birds, and butterflies in bright transparent enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 23, 24. TWO GLOBULAR BOTTLES with bul- 
 bous necks. White porcelain. Palmations and bands 
 of floral ornament in bright enamel colors. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 25, 26. TWO CUBICAL BOXES, covered with 
 black diamond-work on a deep green ground, inter- 
 rupted by wave-edged diamond medallions, with a yel- 
 low fish on a purple ground. On tops of the lids are 
 purple and yellow fishes, shells and a fan on a deep- 
 green background. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 27, 28. TWO TRIPLE GOURD BOTTLES. White 
 porcelain. Beautifully drawn sprays of flowers, ju-i 
 heads and bands of floral design in brilliant enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 29. YELLOW OVOID VASE. With five-colored 
 decoration of boldly drawn flowering plants. 
 
 Mark: Cb'eng-bua nien cbib (Made in the reign of 
 Ch'eng-hua). [1465-1487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXIII) 
 
 30. SEATED FIGURE. Clad in a green robe deco- 
 rated with yellow circular medallions containing blue 
 and green flowers. A band of bright blue encircles his 
 neck and disappears under the right arm. The cloak 
 is of red with scroll-work and lotus flowers in white re- 
 serve. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 31. OVOID VASE. Decoration of flowers and leaf- 
 
 27
 
 CASE j] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 age, with pheasants in green and aubergine on a yellow 
 ground. Green palmations on the neck and foot. A 
 swastika on the square underneath. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io>4 inches. 
 
 32. QUADRILATERAL VASE with chi'lin han- 
 dles. Ground of green diaper pattern, with yellow re- 
 serves containing water-lizards. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 14 inches. 
 
 CASE K 
 
 1,2. TWO FEMALE FIGURES with stands. Poly- 
 chrome decoration of elaborate flower motive with gold. 
 The stands octagonal with panels perforated in rec- 
 tagonal swastika pattern. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 38 inches. 
 
 3. LARGE VASE of hexagonal and globular sec- 
 tion, the latter in panels with alternate dragons and 
 phoenixes disporting among cloud forms above a palm- 
 ated border. A typical specimen of the polychrome 
 style of the reign of Wan-li of the Ming dynasty which 
 is known to the Chinese as Wan-li wu ts'ai, literally, 
 "five-color Wan-li." The mark of the period is written 
 in a small horizontal panel under the lip of the vase. 
 Wan-li (1573-1619). Height 34 inches. 
 
 4. QUADRILATERAL VASE with chimaera hand- 
 les. Varied decoration of flowers and leafage alterna- 
 ting with flower vases and other objects of domestic 
 use and adornment upon a pale yellow ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 20 inches. 
 
 5. WINE VESSEL. Floral decoration with re- 
 serves containing two dogs. Fu contending for a ball. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i2> inches. 
 
 28
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE K 
 
 6. LARGE VASE. A magnificent K'ang-hsi vase 
 of Taoist character, with the figures and other details 
 boldly marked in high relief in the paste, and brilliantly 
 painted with the richest palette of the famille verte, in 
 combination with gold, so as to stand out with vivid 
 distinction and force. The principal figure is Shou Lao, 
 the god of longevity, mounted on a deer, with a stork 
 flying over his head, and acolytes in attendance. On 
 the opposite side of the vase is Hsi Wang Mu, the 
 "Queen Mother of the West," riding on a scroll of 
 clouds, with an attendant carrying three peaches, and 
 a deer bringing a branch of the sacred fungus in its 
 mouth. Her consort, Tung Wang Kung, the "Sov- 
 ereign Lord of the East," stands near with a roll of 
 writing in his hand, preceded by his alter ego, Tung- 
 fang So, carrying off the stolen fruit of life. Another 
 man in attendance holds up a babe in a dish, a gift for 
 some faithful devotee of the goddess. The Pa Hsien, 
 (Eight Genii), and many other saintly hermits of the 
 Taoist cult are grouped on the body of the vase, to be 
 recognized by their varied attributes. On the neck we 
 see Wu Lao, (the Five Old Ones), embodied spirits of 
 the five planets, who are examining a scroll unrolled be- 
 fore them with the yin yang symbol of the powers of 
 light and darkness painted on it. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 30 inches. 
 
 7, 8. TWO LARGE VASES. Powder-blue. Cylin- 
 drical in form, with tall necks. Rich ground of powder- 
 blue, overlaid with an intricate ornament in gold, en- 
 closing four oblong panels richly decorated in alternate 
 floral and landscape designs. Corresponding reserves 
 below and above. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 30 inches. 
 
 9. LARGE PLATE. Landscape with figure in 
 brilliant colors; the border is decorated with flowers on 
 
 29
 
 CASE K] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 a frog-spawn ground, with four white citron-shaped 
 
 reserves enclosing figures and landscape. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 22 inches. 
 
 10. LARGE PLATE. In the centre, part of the 
 piazza of a house with figures; on the rim are the eight 
 horses of the emperor Mu Wang. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 2 1 ]/ 2 inches. 
 
 CASE L 
 
 i to 5. GARNITURE OF FIVE PIECES. An oval 
 vase with cover and four small beakers. A common 
 decoration, flowers and leafage upon a ground of green 
 and yellow above a base of palmations in powder-blue. 
 (Burghley House Collection.) 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height n and 12 inches. 
 
 6,7. TWO OVOID JARS with bell covers. The 
 bodies decorated with yellow and red peonies, rose- 
 colored lotus, and yellow-eyed white prunus in reserve 
 on black enamel, with four white foliated octagon re- 
 serves containing the flowers of the four seasons and 
 appropriate birds. The necks have a band of red and 
 white prunus on white, and the lids white prunus on 
 black. 
 
 Mark: A leaf in double ring. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \6 l /z inches. 
 
 8. CUP AND SAUCER. Ruby-red, five radiating 
 petal-shaped reserves enclosing blue flowers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Cup: Height \y 2 inches. 
 
 Saucer: Diameter 4X inches. 
 
 9. CUP AND SAUCER. Ruby-red, with a five- 
 pointed arabesque white reserve, a spray of flowers in
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE L 
 
 each point, and a conventional lotus flower in the centre 
 in bright enamel colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Cup: Height i^ inches. 
 
 Saucer: Diameter 5 l /i inches. 
 
 10. TEA-POT modelled in mei blossoms. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 1 1 . TEA-POT. Powder-blue with gold ornament 
 and two niches, one with modelled flowers and fruits, 
 and the other a cock and hen. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 12. 13. TWO LARGE PLATES. Each showing 
 two pheasants on rocks, with peonies and two birds in 
 a flowering tree above; on the edges elaborate borders 
 with knots separating six reserves enclosing flowers and 
 animals; the whole in brilliant colors and gold. 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Diameter 22 inches. 
 
 14, 15. TWO OVOID JARS with bell covers 
 and retreating bases. Reserves of various shapes en- 
 closing landscapes, flowers with birds and insects, inter- 
 mingled with yellow, blue, green, and white isolated 
 chrysanthemum flowers on a rose ground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXXV) 
 
 CASE M 
 
 1. CLAIR DE LUNE (yueb pai)'of the K'ang-hsi 
 period, with the imperial six-character mark of the 
 reign pencilled underneath in blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7 inches. 
 
 2. GLOBULAR VASE with wide neck and spread- 
 
 3 1
 
 CASE M] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 ing lip; lotus-petals modelled in relief around the body. 
 
 Reproduction of ancient Cbiin-yao. 
 
 Yung-cheng (1722-1735). Height 7 inches. 
 
 3. GLAIR DE LUNE OVOID VASE with chimaera 
 handles and rudimentary rings modelled in imitation 
 of a Han bronze and invested with a pale gray-lavender 
 glaze. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 14 inches. 
 
 4, 5. TWO BOWLS. The outside reticulated in 
 hexagonal fret, interrupted by six circular medallions 
 pierced as flowers, and painted in enamel. Inside are 
 blue sprays of flowers and a floral border in blue, red 
 and yellow. 
 
 Mark: Ta Cbing K'ang-hsi nien cbih (Made in the reign 
 
 of K'ang-hsi of the great Ching dynasty). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 6 inches. 
 
 6 to 9. FOUR CELADON PLATES. Fourteenth 
 or fifteenth century; the largest 22 inches in diameter. 
 Of exceedingly heavy kaolinic ware, with broadly 
 treated floral design modelled in the body, fluted sides, 
 and foliated rim. This is an exceedingly fine specimen 
 of martabani, the vessels so celebrated in Persia, and 
 which were famed for their alleged property of dis- 
 closing the presence of poison by changing their color. 
 The smaller plates are of the same period. Nearly all 
 specimens of this character reach us by way of Persia 
 and India. 
 
 10. FLOWER BOWL (hua p'eri) intended for 
 bulbs of flowering narcissus, with mottled glaze of 
 flambe character, of Sung dynasty. Chiin-chou ware 
 (Cbiin-yao). It has underneath the numeral ssii (four) 
 stamped in the paste under the glaze. 
 
 Diameter 9 inches. 
 
 32
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE M 
 
 11. FLATTENED GLOBULAR BOWL invested 
 with a mottled glaze of aubergine purple flecked with 
 lighter spots. Reproduction of an ancient Chiin-yao 
 piece. 
 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Diameter 6K inches. 
 
 12. BOWL. Chiin-yao of the Sung dynasty with a 
 purple glaze of varied tone and crackle. 
 
 Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 13. BOWL. Kuan-yao of the Yuan or Sung dy- 
 nasty. Greenish-purple glaze. Mounted with a bronze 
 collar. 
 
 Diameter 6> inches. 
 
 14. PILLOW. Completely covered with intricate 
 decoration of flowers and leaves. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 17^ inches. 
 
 15. GALLIPOT invested with a pale lavender glaze. 
 Mark underneath: Seal-character, Ta Ch'ing Yung- 
 cheng nien chih. 
 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 14 inches. 
 
 16. WRITER'S WATER -POT. Peach-bloom 
 glaze. 
 
 Mark underneath: Ta Ching K'ang-hsi nien chih. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 17 to 22. SIX AMPHORAS. Peach-bloom. Beauti- 
 ful examples of all the most esteemed varieties of this 
 much-sought glaze. Attributed to the prefecture of 
 Nien. 
 
 Mark underneath: Ta Ch'ing K'ang-hsi nien chih. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6> inches. 
 
 23. OVOID VASE with tall, wide neck. Massive 
 
 33
 
 CASE M] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 porcelain with a band of modelled ornament in the paste 
 of the shoulder; the whole invested with a lavender 
 glaze. 
 
 Mark underneath: Six-character seal-mark of Ch'ien- 
 lung. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 16 inches. 
 
 24. BOTTLE-SHAPED VASE, with wide, flaring 
 neck. Glaze of pale lavender. 
 
 Mark underneath: Six-character seal-mark of Ch'ien- 
 lung. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 15 inches. 
 
 25. LARGE VASE invested with a brilliant glaze of 
 turquoise crackle. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17 inches. 
 
 26. PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE. White porcelain 
 with striated crackle and elaborate decoration of flowers, 
 leafage, and butterflies beautifully drawn in the paste. 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 13 inches. 
 
 27. BEAKER. White porcelain. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 28. VASE. Pure white porcelain, entirely covered 
 with an elaborate and beautifully drawn decoration of 
 flowers and leafage, intricately drawn and modelled in 
 the paste, the whole covered with a fine light celadon 
 glaze. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 29. TALL BOTTLE. Imperial yellow glaze. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 30. VASE invested with a glaze of Mazarin blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 34
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE M 
 
 31. GALLIPOT invested with a glaze of pistache 
 green. 
 
 Mark underneath: Seal-character, Ta Ching Ch'ien- 
 lung nien chih. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 13 inches. 
 
 CASE N 
 
 i , 2. PAI R OF LARGE ELEPHANTS of the Ch'ien- 
 lung period, carrying vases on their backs Hsiang t'o 
 pas p'ing (Elephants carrying precious vases). The 
 decoration is of Taoist character, the saddle cloths be- 
 ing painted with branches of peaches and bats, emblems 
 of longevity and happiness. The caparison and har- 
 ness are inlaid with colored enamels as if mounted with 
 jewels and tassels, and they are generally finished 
 in the most ornate style of the time. The vases, which 
 are comparatively small in size, are filled with berried 
 plants resembling the iris, the leaves of which are carved 
 in nephrite and the berries in red coral. The tusks of 
 the elephants are covered in real ivory and glued in 
 sockets left for the purpose. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 20 inches. 
 
 3. SMALL ELEPHANT of the same period, and 
 possibly identical workmanship. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 8 inches. 
 
 4. JAR (kuari) of old crackled celadon (Lung-cb'uan 
 yao] invested with a deep rich glaze of dark "onion-green" 
 (grass-green) tone. Round the shoulder a floral scroll 
 is lightly tooled in the paste under the glaze. The 
 interior of the vase and the foot are also coated with 
 celadon glaze of green shade. A Sung dynasty piece. 
 The cover, which has been lost, is replaced by a metal 
 one of Japanese workmanship. 
 
 Height 9>^ inches. 
 
 35
 
 CASE N] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 5. BEAKER-SHAPED VASE of four-lobed section 
 covered with a thick crackled glaze of bluish celadon 
 tone, overspread in places with bright red blotches, and 
 mottled with an occasional spot of yellow color. A 
 reproduction of a Kuan yao piece of the Sung dynasty. 
 
 Height 8 inches. 
 
 6. MOTTLED FAIENCE INCENSE BURNER 
 (hsiang-lu) mounted on six legs with a pedestal modelled 
 as part of the piece. The body, of rounded form, is 
 moulded with three rams' heads in relief, alternating 
 with three triangular studs. Three rams (san yang k'ai 
 tai} are symbols of the revivifying power of spring. A 
 primitive specimen of the Chiin-chou kilns (Chun yao), 
 dating back to the Yuan, if not to the Sung, dynasty. 
 
 Height 6^2 inches. 
 
 7. WHITE BOWL with wide spreading sides, deco- 
 rated with floral scrolls lightly worked in the paste under 
 the glaze. A specimen of Sung dynasty Ting yao. The 
 Ting-chou kilns, it is well known, furnished the original 
 models after which, according to tradition, the early 
 Ming eggshell bowls of the reign of Yung-lo were 
 fashioned. 
 
 Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 8. BOWL, smaller than the last, of Sung dynasty 
 Ting-yao, mounted with a copper collar around the 
 rim. The decoration, which is moulded in relief in the 
 paste under the glaze in the interior of the bowl, con- 
 sists of formal panels of flowers, and a border of rectan- 
 gular fret running round the rim. 
 
 Diameter 6 inches. 
 
 9. ANCIENT MOTTLED CHUN YAO VASE of 
 the Sung dynasty, with bulbous mouth, having as a
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE N 
 
 "mark" the numeral san (three) incised in the paste 
 underneath the foot. 
 
 Height 7 inches. 
 
 10. CRACKLED CELADON ROUND-SHOULD- 
 ERED VASE (mei-p'ing) of Lung-ch'uan yao, perhaps 
 dating from the Sung dynasty. The decoration con- 
 sists of designs worked in the paste under the glaze, 
 which is of grass-green tone. 
 
 Height 8 inches. 
 
 11. PEAR-SHAPED VASE of Sung dynasty Kuan 
 yao. 
 
 Height 6 inches. 
 
 12. QUADRANGULAR VASE of the Yuan dynasty, 
 mounted on a circular vase, with three scrolled feet. 
 It is moulded with the eight trigrams (pa kua), in relief, 
 and with elephants' heads as handles. 
 
 Height 8 inches. 
 
 13. GLOBULAR WATER VESSELof flattened form, 
 having the circularly rimmed mouth, as it were, depress- 
 ed, covered with a soft gray-blue (yueh pai] glaze of 
 clair de lune tone. It has the six-character imperial 
 mark of the reign of K'ang-hsi penciled underneath in 
 cobalt blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 4 inches. 
 
 14. CH'IEN LUNG WATER VESSELof globular 
 shape, invested with a monochrome glaze of pale green- 
 ish tint. The "mark" is an imperial seal of the reign 
 penciled underneath in blue. The foot rim is coated 
 iron gray, suggestive of the old iron-boned Ju-chou 
 ware (T'ieh-ku ju yao), of the Sung dynasty, the paste 
 of which was of this particular color. 
 
 Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 37
 
 CASE N] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 15. SEATED FIGURE OF MAITREYA BUDDHA 
 
 (Mi-lo Fo), carrying a fly-whisk. Ivory white. Ch'ien- 
 t%-u of the Ming dynasty, during which the Fuchien 
 kilns were celebrated for their Buddhist images. 
 
 Height 6 inches. 
 
 1 6. CUP. "Hare's fur" (t'u bao), or "gray par- 
 tridge" (perdrix cinerea) invested with a dark brown 
 glaze ending below in unctuous drops, flecked and 
 lined with grayish blue. A characteristic specimen 
 of Cbien-yao (Fu-chien ware) of the Sung dynasty, with 
 a copper collar mounted round the rim. 
 
 Diameter 4^2 inches. 
 
 17. TRIPOD INCENSE-BURNER (hsiang-lu) of 
 the Ming dynasty. Ivory white Fuchien porcelain 
 (Chien-t{'u), modelled after an ancient bronze de- 
 sign. A band of beautifully modelled ornament about 
 the middle. 
 
 Height 10 inches. 
 
 1 8. SHALLOW BOWL (wan). Greenish-yellow 
 crackled glaze of the Sung dynasty, leaving a bare ring 
 in the bottom within. A specimen of ancient Mi-se 
 or yellow millet-colored crackle from the Kiang-hsi 
 potteries. Formerly the possession of his Excellency 
 Chang Yinhuan. 
 
 Diameter 6 inches. 
 
 19. 20. TWO FIGURES. Children pick-a-back. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 CASE I 
 
 i. LARGE PLATE. Powder-blue, with a white 
 central reserve and rim, both bearing decoration of blos- 
 soms and scrolls of chrysanthemums. 
 
 38
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE I 
 
 Mark: Within a double ring, outline of a pair of fish, 
 
 suspended by fillets. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 20^ inches. 
 
 2 to 4. GARNITURE OF THREE VASES. Pow- 
 der-blue, with white reserves containing decorations of 
 landscapes, flowering plants, etc. The blue ground 
 overlaid with arabesques in gold. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ and 16 inches. 
 (PLATE HI) 
 
 5. LONG-NECKED BOTTLE with bulbous neck. 
 Powder-blue, with reserves of various shapes containing 
 decoration of chrysanthemums and pinks. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^" inches. 
 
 6 to 10. GARNITURE OF FIVE PIECES: three 
 ovoid vases with mandarin caps, and two cylindrical 
 club-shaped vases. Powder-blue. Reserves in various 
 shapes containing designs of landscapes, figures, and 
 floral ornament, the blue ground overlaid with ara- 
 besques in gold. The large central panels of foliated 
 outline are filled with a series of dramatic scenes from 
 a Chinese play, probably the Hsi Hsiang Chi (Story of 
 the Western Pavilion). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ an d i6|/f inches. 
 
 ii. OVOID VASE with short, straight neck. Pow- 
 der-blue, with reserves containing decoration of chry- 
 santhemums and peach blossoms in alternate panels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 12 to 14. EWER AND TWO CYLINDRICAL 
 VASES. Powder-blue, with reserves of various shapes 
 containing floral and other ornament,, the blue over- 
 laid on the ewer with a reticulated or broken-ice pat- 
 tern, and on the others with arabesques, all in gold. 
 
 39
 
 CASE l] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 In the reserves on the ewer, the cbi-lin (unicorn) and 
 feng-buang (phoenix); lion and eagle; pheasant with 
 sprays of magnolia and tree peony. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 11 and io>4 inches. 
 
 15. OVOID VASE with short, straight neck. Pow- 
 der-blue, with white rectangular and leaf-shaped re- 
 serves containing various ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8>^ inches. 
 
 1 6. BOTTLE with bulbous neck. Powder-blue, 
 with white reserves containing various ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 17 to 19. GARNITURE OF THREE PIECES: two 
 ovoid vases with short, straight necks, and a bottle 
 with long, flaring neck. Powder-blue. White reserves 
 with various ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8^ and 10 inches. 
 
 20. BOTTLE with bulbous neck. Powder-blue 
 with reserves containing various designs, and on the 
 neck a band of ornament on a red ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 21. TRIPLE-GOURD BOTTLE with trumpet 
 mouth. Powder-blue, with white reserves of various 
 shapes containing decoration of diverse objects. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 22. BOTTLE with bulbous neck. Powder-blue, 
 with white reserves filled with various ornament, the 
 blue ground overlaid with arabesques in gold. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 23. BOWL, shallow, with cover and handles. Pow- 
 
 40
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE I 
 
 der-blue, white reserves containing landscape and 
 
 other ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 6^ inches. 
 
 24. BOTTLE with bulbous neck. Powder-blue, 
 with white reserves containing landscapes, about the 
 neck a band of white ornament upon a red ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 25. TRIPLE-GOURD BOTTLE with trumpet 
 mouth. Powder-blue, with white reserves containing 
 various ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io> inches. 
 
 CASE II 
 
 26, 27. TWO PLATES. Powder-blue, with reserves 
 decorated with flowers growing from rocks and with 
 butterflies and other insects in the various panels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter io> inches. 
 
 281030. GARNITURE OF THREE PIECES: a 
 club-shaped cylindrical centrepiece, and two ovoid 
 vases with mandarin caps. Powder-blue; the blue 
 ground overlaid with rich and intricate ornament in 
 gold; reserves of various shapes filled with beautifully 
 drawn designs of figures, landscapes, and various orna- 
 ment. The club-shaped vase is decorated in the largest 
 panels with ladies engaged in the "four elegant accom- 
 plishments" (cb'in, ch'i, sbu, bud)', i.e., music (the lyre), 
 chess, writing and painting. The rich floral scrolls of 
 chrysanthemums are effectively outlined in gold on the 
 powder-blue ground so as to be reserved in blue with 
 gilded surroundings. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ and i8K inches.
 
 CASE II] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 31,32. TWO LARGE BOWLS. Powder-blue, with 
 leaf-shaped reserves filled with diverse decorative de- 
 signs; the blue ground in No. 31 overlaid with ara- 
 besques in gold. No. 32 is of special interest in ex- 
 hibiting on a single piece in its panel decoration the 
 three characteristic grounds coral-red, green and yel- 
 low which are so highly appreciated, in connection 
 with the fourth black ground, in the large vases of the 
 period. 
 
 Mark on No. 32 underneath: Fu (happiness), 
 pencilled in archaic or "seal" character. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter i \y and 12^ inches. 
 
 33. OVOID VASE with short, straight neck. Pow- 
 der-blue, with white reserves filled with diverse decora- 
 tive ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8% inches. 
 
 34, 35. TWO CYLINDRICAL COVERED POTS, 
 
 Powder-blue. White reserves filled with various floral 
 
 and other ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4% inches. 
 
 36. TRIPLE GOURD BOTTLE. Powder-blue, 
 with various white reserves filled with diverse decora- 
 tion. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ioK inches. 
 
 37. OVOID VASE with short, straight neck. Pow- 
 der-blue, with white reserves of various shapes filled 
 with diverse ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 38. 39. TWO SMALL BOTTLES with flaring necks. 
 Powder-blue, with reserves containing landscape and 
 other decoration. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7 inches. 
 
 42
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE II 
 
 40. SMALL TEAPOT. Powder-blue, with two 
 white reserves containing decoration in dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6>^ inches. 
 
 41. GOURD-SHAPED TEAPOT. Powder-blue, 
 with reserves filled with various ornament, the blue 
 ground overlaid with floral and other ornament in gold. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 CASE III 
 
 42,43. TWO PLATES. Powder-blue, one with a 
 white centre filled with a decoration in blue, the other 
 having various reserves filled with diverse decoration. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter n inches. 
 
 44 to 46. GARNITURE OF THREE PIECES: 
 globular, long-necked bottle, and two cylindrical, club- 
 shaped vases. Powder-blue; reserves of various shapes 
 containing a multiplicity of decorative ornament, the 
 blue ground on the bottle overlaid with faint arab- 
 esques in gold. On 44 the large reserve panels are 
 filled with the flowers of the four seasons ssu cbi hua (the 
 tree peony of spring, the lotus of summer, the chry- 
 santhemum of autumn, and the prunus of winter). 
 On 46 peonies and chrysanthemums with phoenixes 
 occupy two of the panels, the alternate panels being 
 filled with groups of the emblems of art and culture 
 known as po ku (the hundred antiques). On 45 two 
 of the panels are decorated with hanging openwork 
 baskets filled with lotus and other flowers; the al- 
 ternate two panels with groups of po ku emblems. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i8K inches. 
 
 (PLATE v, NOS. 44 AND 46) 
 
 47. CYLINDRICAL VASE with flaring lip. Pow- 
 
 43
 
 CASE III] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 der-blue, with longitudinal reserves containing decora- 
 tion of two graceful female figures, one carrying a 
 screen fan, the other a ju-i sceptre. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height n inches. 
 
 48. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. Powder- 
 blue, with reserves containing two large panels of war 
 scenes, together with smaller panels of landscape scen- 
 ery, and with groups of playing children in the two re- 
 serves on the neck of the vase. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i8K inches. 
 
 49. EWER with Louis XVI mount. Powder-blue, 
 decorated with three reserve panels of foliated outline 
 containing: (i) The three floral emblems of long life, 
 suna cbu mei (the pine, bamboo and prunus) ; (2) A 
 pair of mandarin ducks in a lake with lotus flowers 
 growing: (3) Pairing birds with blossoming peach trees 
 and other spring flowers; the blue ground overlaid with 
 floral arabesques in gold. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 13^ inches. 
 
 50. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. Powder- 
 blue, with longitudinal and other reserves containing 
 delicately drawn and isolated floral decoration in red, 
 the blue ground overlaid with various floral and other 
 ornament in gold. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 51. CYLINDRICAL VASE with flaring mouth. 
 Powder-blue, with white reserves containing decoration 
 of floral designs. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 52 to 55. GARNITURE OF FOUR PIECES: two 
 globular jars with mandarin covers, and two bottles 
 with long, straight necks. Powder-blue; reserves of 
 
 44
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE III 
 
 various shapes filled with floral and other decoration. 
 Faint tracery of gold ornament on the blue ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height n^and 10^ inches. 
 
 56 to 58. THREE BOTTLES, globular, with long 
 bulbous necks and trumpet mouths. Powder-blue; 
 reserves with floral decoration in dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 59. GLOBULAR BOTTLE, the flaring mouth of 
 the body supporting a long, bulbous neck. Powder- 
 blue reserves with floral and other decorations in dark 
 blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 60 to 62. THREE TEAPOTS. Powder-blue; re- 
 serves with designs of figures and landscapes. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8% inches. 
 
 63. VASE with tapering, expanding and bulbous 
 neck. Powder-blue; reserves containing landscape and 
 other decoration in dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 64,65. TWO PERFUME-SPRINKLERS with 
 ovoid bodies and slender, tapering necks. Powder-blue 
 white reserves containing floral decoration in blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 CASE IV 
 
 66. LARGE PLATE. Powder-blue, with central 
 octagonal foliated reserve showing a landscape with 
 a cb'ilin regarding a phoenix descending from the 
 clouds, round the edge eight foliated ovals, enclosing 
 emblems and flowering plants in brilliant enamels. 
 
 45
 
 CASE IV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 Mark: An open lozenge (fang-sheng) tied with fillets. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 1 6 inches. 
 
 67,68. TWO TALL VASES with wide, bulbous 
 necks, spreading lips and bases. Powder-blue, with 
 reserve panels painted in under-glaze blue with land- 
 scapes, po ku emblems and flowers, filled in with over- 
 glaze iron red in some of the details and with occasional 
 touches of gold. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xn) 
 
 69. OVIFORM VASE with cylindrical neck and 
 spreading lip. The three figures in the decoration of 
 this vase are Fu, Lu, and Shou, the Taoist star gods 
 of happiness, rank and longevity. The longevity 
 characters on the neck are alternated with swastika 
 symbols, the combination reading wan shou (a myriad 
 ages!). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 (PLATE v, CENTRE) 
 
 70 to 72. GARNITURE OF THREE PIECES: two 
 ovoid jars with caps, and beaker vase. Powder-blue, 
 with reserves of varied forms showing the flowers of the 
 four seasons, with birds and insects. One jar and the 
 beaker have gold decoration on the blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \^y 2 and 18 inches. 
 (PLATE vi, NOS. 70 AND 72.) 
 
 73 to 76. GARNITURE OF FOUR PIECES: two 
 ginger-jars, and two pear-shaped bottles with long, 
 bulbous necks. Powder-blue; reserves of various shape 
 showing emblems and sprays of flowering plants and 
 birds in blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 and 12 inches.
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE IV 
 
 77, 78. TWO COVERED BOWLS. Powder-blue, 
 with floral decoration in the glaze. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 3^ inches. 
 
 79,80. TOO CLUB-SHAPED VASES. Powder- 
 blue, each with two quadrilateral panels showing one 
 of the Immortals coming on a dragon across the sea. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 81,82. TWO PERFUME-SPRINKLERS. Sim- 
 ilar to No. 64. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8% inches. 
 
 83, 84. TWO BOTTLES. Similar to No. 59. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io^i inches. 
 
 85,86. TWO OVOID BOTTLES with cup-shaped 
 mouths and bulbous collars. Powder-blue, each with 
 three pomegranate-shaped reserves showing emblems 
 and flowering shrubs. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9X inches. 
 
 87. PERFUME-SPRINKLER. Powder-blue; sim- 
 ilar to No. 64. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8^ inches. 
 
 CASE V 
 
 88 to 92. GARNITURE OF FIVE PIECES. Blue 
 and white vases, known as Nankeen porcelain. Dec- 
 orated with a series of panels containing various de- 
 signs, of which the figures of women were known as 
 " Lange Lijsen," or "long Elizas," a title by which 
 vases of this type were distinguished. 
 
 47
 
 CASE V] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 Mark: Leaf-mark on Nos. 88, 90, 92; on Nos. 89 and 91, 
 Yu (jade). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19 inches. 
 
 (PLATE vn) 
 
 93, 94. TWO FLASK-SHAPED BOTTLES. Pow- 
 der-blue, each with two indented oval reserves showing 
 bai-shou (sea-monsters) standing precariously on rocks 
 in mid-sea, and breathing forth flames, and two fan- 
 and two pomegranate-shaped reserves with shrimps 
 and flowering plants. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 (PLATE iv. FIGS, i AND 3) 
 
 95. FLASK-SHAPED BOTTLE. Powder-blue. 
 The glaze of exceeding depth and richness of color. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16 inches. 
 
 96. GLOBULAR BOTTLE with wide bulbous neck. 
 Chrysanthemum and other decoration. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 97. CLUB-SHAPED VASE. Powder-blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 98. 99. TWO OVOID BOTTLES with tapering and 
 expanding necks. Decoration of flowers and plant- 
 forms. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 9 inches. 
 
 100. SMALL TEAPOT. Decoration of landscape 
 and plant forms. 
 Chia-ching (1522-1566). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 loo A,B. PAIR OF LARGE ROUND DISHES of the 
 K'ang-hsi period. They have powder-blue borders 
 
 48
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE V 
 
 overlaid with gold in rich floral scrolls and panels 
 filled with po ku vases and emblems, so as to frame a 
 central picture with a foliated outline shaped like an 
 eight-petalled lotus blossom, which is framed with a 
 floral scroll in white reserve on a coral red ground. 
 The picture, which is enamelled in brilliant colors, with 
 occasional touches of gold, exhibits a Chinese Em- 
 peror and Empress seated in a pavilion on the bank 
 of a lake with dragon screens in the background. In 
 the foreground court ladies are gathering lotus flowers 
 in boats on the lake, and one is kneeling before the 
 imperial da'is presenting one of the flowers. 
 Mark: A pair of fish suspended by fillets within a large 
 double ring. 
 Kang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 20^ inches. 
 
 101, 102. TWO GLOBULAR BOTTLES with tap- 
 ering necks and expanding lips. Decoration of diverse 
 ornament and leaf-forms. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 103. CUP. Powder-blue, with reserves containing 
 spray of flowers. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 104, 105. TWO COVERED PERFUME-BOXES. 
 Arabesques of flowers and leafage. The handles are 
 modelled in open-work relief in the shape of a branch of 
 pine and two squirrels, and tinted green with touches 
 of black. 
 
 Mark: A ling-chih (sacred fungus). 
 
 Perhaps of older date than K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 106, 107. TWO MINIATURE COVERED POTS. 
 Closely woven decoration of floral ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2>^ inches. 
 
 49
 
 CASE V] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 108. GLOBULAR BOWL. Butterflies and melons 
 in varying blue. 
 
 Mark: A pencil brush (pi) and an ingot-shaped cake of 
 
 ink (ting) tied round with fillets. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 2^ inches. 
 
 109. MINIATURE BOWL. Figures and land- 
 scape. 
 
 Mark: Hsiian-te nien chih (Made in the reign of 
 
 Hsiian-te). [1426-1435 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 2% inches. 
 
 1 10. MINIATURE VASE, cylindrical, with spread- 
 ing mouth. Decoration of tall ifemale figures, etc. 
 Mark: Yu (jade). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 in. MINIATURE TEA POT. Delicate decora- 
 tion of leaf-forms and bands of ornament. 
 Mark: Yii (jade). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2^ inches. 
 
 1 12. SMALL OVOID VASE with short, wide neck. 
 Decoration of dragon amid fire-emblems and cloud- 
 forms. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 113. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Delicate decoration 
 of leaf-forms and bands of ornament in brilliant blue. 
 Mark: Yii (jade). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2^ inches. 
 
 1 14. MINIATURE VASE, cylindrical, with stopper. 
 Decoration of incense-burners and emblems. 
 
 Mark: Ch'eng-hua nien chih (Made in the reign of 
 
 Ch'eng-hua) . [ 1 465- 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 50
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE VI 
 
 1 1 5. MINIATURE VASE, ovoid. With landscape. 
 Mark: Yii (jade). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 116. MINIATURE VASE, cylindrical, with metal 
 top. Decoration of figures, etc. 
 
 Mark: Ch'eng-hua nien chib (Made in the reign of 
 
 Ch'eng-hua). [1465-1487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 117. MINIATURE VASE, cylindrical. With fig- 
 ures, etc. 
 
 Mark: Cb'eng-bua nien chib (Made in the reign of 
 
 Ch'eng-hua) . [ 1 465- 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 1 18. ROUGE BOX. Decoration of figures, etc. 
 Mark: Ta Ming Hsiian-te nien chih (Made in the reign 
 of Hsiian-te of the great Ming dynasty). [1426-1435 
 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 2> inches. 
 
 1 18 A,B. TWO LARGE POWDER-BLUE PLATES, 
 each with a large reserve, foliated, containing landscape 
 with figures on a white ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 26 inches. 
 
 r CASE VI 
 
 ii8C, D. TWO LARGE CIRCULAR DISHES of 
 somewhat similar form and style as the pair hanging in 
 case V (lOoA, B), and having the same mark under- 
 neath. The central pictures are of the same eight- 
 petalled shape, but not framed in coral red. The pic- 
 tures, brilliantly enamelled, in early K'ang-hsi colors, 
 with gilding, are those of imperial receptions with the 
 usual state surroundings. In the first the Emperor 
 and Empress are seated in a palace pavilion, with a 
 
 5'
 
 CASE VI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 group of ladies of the court on either side, and children 
 are moving among the high mandarins assembled in 
 audience. The second shows an envoy kneeling be- 
 fore the throne holding up his baton of office, having 
 just presented his credentials, while an attendant holds 
 a seal, or some other object, wrapped in brocade. 
 Note the dragon scroll on the steps in the foreground, 
 and the boldly designed four-clawed feet grasping the 
 flaming jewel of omnipotence on the screen in the back- 
 ground, and the gilded stupa in the palace grounds 
 above. The powder-blue borders of the first are en- 
 riched with gold scrolls and archaic lizard-like dragons 
 (ch'ih lung). The second has lotus scrolls interrupted 
 by panels of po ku emblems. 
 K'ang-hsi (1622-1722) Diameter 20^2 inches. 
 
 1 19, 1 20. TWO VASES, cylindrical, with short, wide 
 necks and flaring lips. An intricate decoration of 
 floral and other forms, with dragons, reserved in the 
 blue-cobalt ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 121. OVOID VASE with cover. Reserves on a 
 dark-blue ground with varied decoration of aquatic 
 plants, flowers, leaves, butterflies, utensils, and house- 
 hold ornaments. 
 Yung-che'ng or Ch'ien-lung (1723-1795). 
 
 Height \^y z inches. 
 
 122. CYLINDRICAL VASE. Decoration of palm- 
 ations and flower sprays. 
 
 Mark: Leaf and knot. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height I2X inches. 
 
 123, 124. TWO COVERED VASES with handles. 
 Reserves in outline containing decoration of diverse 
 objects. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height I2>^ inches. 
 
 52
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE VI 
 
 125. HAWTHORN POT. With reserves contain- 
 ing lions upon a ground of broken-ice pattern in dark, 
 brilliant blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 126. OVOID BOTTLE with tall, slender bulbous 
 neck. Decoration of various objects and Buddhistic 
 emblems. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 12^ inches. 
 
 127. GLOBULAR BOTTLE with tapering, tall 
 neck. Decoration of dragons amid fire-emblems and 
 cloud-forms. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Ch'eng-hua nien chih (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). 
 [1465-1487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 128. 129. TWO BOTTLES, globular, with short 
 necks. Closely woven and finely drawn decoration in 
 brilliant blue. 
 
 Mark: Lozenge and knot. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^6 inches. 
 
 130. BOTTLE. Similar to Nos. 128, 129, with dec- 
 oration reversed. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7 inches. 
 
 131. BOTTLE, tapering neck and expanding foot. 
 Decoration of dragons amid fire-emblems and cloud- 
 forms. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Ch'eng-hua nien chih (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). 
 [ 1 465- 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 53
 
 CASE VI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 132, 133. TWO BOTTLES, globular, with tapering 
 necks. Decoration of plant forms. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 134. WATER POT with handles perforated for 
 mounting on a bird cage, decorated with imperial five- 
 clawed dragons in the midst of scrolled clouds pur- 
 suing the effulgent jewel of omnipotence. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3 inches. Diameter 2^ inches. 
 
 135, 136. TWO PERFUME-SPRINKLERS. Var- 
 ied floral and leaf-form decoration. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7 and 7^ inches. 
 
 137,138. TWO GOURDS with silver mounts. Bril- 
 liant blue decoration of tall female figures and land- 
 scapes. 
 
 Mark: Leaf and knot. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6^" inches. 
 
 139, 140. TWO OVOID VASES with caps. Bril- 
 liant chrysanthemum-pattern in dark blue. 
 Mark: Leaf and knot. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 y z inches. 
 
 141. TEA-POT. Blue and white chrysanthemum- 
 pattern, and figure of boy. 
 Mark: Pearl and knot. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4 inches. 
 
 142 to 146. FIVE CYLINDRICAL VASES OR 
 CORNETS. With varied decoration of landscapes, 
 figures and animals, and other objects. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 54
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE VI 
 
 147,148. TWO MINIATURE VASES. Decoration 
 of leaf-forms, etc. 
 Mark: Yu (jade). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 149. MINIATURE PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE. 
 Rocks, flowers, and insects. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 150. MINIATURE OVOID VASE. Rocks, flowers, 
 and insects. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 151. MINIATURE WATER BOTTLE. Scroll 
 chrysanthemum. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Cbia-cbing nien cbib (Made in the 
 reign of Chia-ching of the great Ming dynasty). 
 Chia-ching (1522-1566). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 CASE VII 
 
 152. PLATE. The picture shows the Chinese 
 method of representing a dream, as a scroll proceeding 
 from the head of the sleeping man and opening out to 
 reveal the vision. The dreamer here is a scholar, who 
 appears pictured again in the scroll as a knight errant 
 rescuing a maiden from the clutches of a swashbuckler. 
 The four oval panels in the border of the plate contain 
 episodes in the lives of celebrated poets and wine bib- 
 bers. 
 
 Mark: Within a double ring. Ta Cb'ing Kang-bsi 
 nien chih. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter ioX inches. 
 
 55
 
 CASE VI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 153. PLATE. Decorated with white primus in re- 
 serve on a deep blue ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter io> inches. 
 
 154. PLATE. This plate, which has the same mark 
 as the preceding, is decorated with a dramatic scene. 
 The border is of swastika pattern diaper interrupted by 
 foliated panels containing peaches. 
 
 Diameter \Q l / 2 inches. 
 
 155. 156. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with 
 spreading mouths. Elaborate decoration of chrysan- 
 themums and lotus in reserve. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 20^ inches. 
 
 157. TALL BEAKER VASE. Elaborate decora- 
 tion of historic scenes embracing a numerous assem- 
 blage with minor subjects and various detail of land- 
 scape, etc. Brilliant blue and fine white paste. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 31 inches. 
 
 158, 159. TWO WINE POTS with dragon-headed 
 handles. Elaborate floral decoration. Made for the 
 Dutch market. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \Q l / 2 inches. 
 
 160. GINGER-JAR with wooden cover. Displays 
 grotesque scaly sea monsters (bai-shou) in three re- 
 serve panels. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9K inches. 
 
 161, 162. TWO OVOID BOTTLES with tapering 
 necks and spreading lips. Floral decoration in foli- 
 ated medallions. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ioX inches. 
 
 56
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE VII 
 
 163. GLOBULAR BOTTLE. The common Chin- 
 ese art motive, known as the "Happy Meeting" of two 
 friends. The picture in the peach-shaped panel dis- 
 plays a mountain landscape with a traveller, accom- 
 panied by an attendant carrying his lyre, wending his 
 way up the hill to visit a friend. The boat by which 
 he has come is seen behind. Natural floral sprays of 
 peony and chrysanthemum fill in the intervals, in con- 
 nection with a pencil brush, a cake of ink, and a jui- 
 sceptre, intended to be read, rebus fashion, Pi ting ju-i 
 (May every wish be fulfilled). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 164. DOUBLE BOTTLE. Similar to Nos. 17 and 
 1 8, Case C. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 165. SHALLOW BOWL. Inside, a landscape with 
 figures and a bat; outside, a scroll lotus-band below a 
 jui-i-head border. 
 
 Mark: Ch'eng-bua nien chih (Made in the reign of 
 
 Ch'eng-hua) . [ 1 465- 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 4 inches. 
 
 166 to 1 68. THREE OVOID JARS. Showing the 
 flowers of the four seasons in four panels surmounted 
 by scroll-leaves and ju-i heads. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6 and 7^ inches. 
 
 169, 170. TWO OVOID BOTTLES with spreading 
 lips. Floral and arabesque decoration. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8y inches. 
 
 171. SMALL OVOID VASE. Tall female figures 
 and flowering shrubs in six panels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4 inches. 
 
 57
 
 CASE VII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 172. OVOID BOTTLE with short bulbous neck. 
 Equestrian figures and scenery. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 173, 174. TWO PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLES with 
 spreading lips. Chrysanthemums and other flowers. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 175, 176. TWO OVOID JARS. Lange Lijsen and 
 flowers alternating in four panels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 177, 178. TWO MINIATURE FISH-JARS with 
 wooden handles. Figure and landscape decoration in 
 dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height I ^ inches. 
 
 179. MINIATURE OVOID VASE with convex 
 collar. Ladies and flowers alternating in six panels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 1 80. SMALL PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE. Ladies 
 and flowering plants. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 i8oA. TALL CLUB-SHAPED VASE of imposing 
 size brilliantly decorated in vivid shades of cobalt blue, 
 with a moving scene representing the progress of a 
 Chinese Emperor, perhaps the luxurious Yang Ti of the 
 Sui dynasty (seventh century, A. D.) through his do- 
 minions. The emperor is seated in a state junk, sur- 
 rounded by mandarins and with court ladies playing 
 music, passing through the usual scenes along the river 
 banks. The shoulder of the vase is encircled by a band 
 of diverse brocade pattern, interrupted by panels of 
 po ku emblems. The lower half of the cylindrical neck 
 
 58
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE VIII 
 
 is decorated with bands of brocaded design, separated 
 above by a prominent ring, above which we see, on the 
 upper half, a company of Taoist genii crossing the waves 
 of the Cosmic sea. The company includes Tung-fang 
 So, carrying the branch of peaches on his shoulder 
 which he has stolen from the tree of life, riding on a 
 lotus leaf; Liu Han, accompanied by his familiar, the 
 three-legged toad, and Wen Ti, the god of literature, 
 posed on the head of a fish dragon and wielding a pencil 
 brush. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 31 ]/ 2 inches. 
 
 CASE VIII 
 
 181, 182. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES, tapering 
 with spreading necks. With foliated medallions and 
 large floral ornament in reserve on blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19 inches. 
 
 183. OVOID JAR with cover. Chrysanthemum 
 and other decoration, and three large reserves with 
 landscape and flowers. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15 inches. 
 
 184. TRIPLE-GOURD BOTTLE. Decoration of 
 emblems and flowers. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 1 1% inches. 
 
 185. 186. TWO OVOID BOTTLES with tapering 
 necks and pyramidal bases. Fan devices and em- 
 blems alternating in six panels. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io> inches. 
 
 187. HAWTHORN JAR with ebony cover. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 59
 
 CASE VIII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 188. CYLINDRICAL VASE. With bands of flow- 
 ers and dragons amid cloud-scrolls. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches, 
 
 189. HAWTHORN JAR. Semi-blossoms in groups 
 of four arranged on a brilliant blue cracked-ice ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ^ inches. 
 
 190, 191. TWO OVOID JARS with covers. A 
 pheasant on a rock from which a flowering tree spreads. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 192, 193. TWO OVOID JARS with bell-shaped lids 
 and bases. With armorial device of European origin, 
 surrounded by floral decoration. On bases grapes 
 and squirrels, and above lotus petals in relief. 
 Marks: A leaf on one, a ling-chib on the other. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 194. OVOID JAR with cover. Design of fine 
 naturalistic studies of lotus and peony and birds. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 195. HAWTHORN JAR. Design similar to No. 
 189, but with larger blossoms and a darker and less 
 lustrous ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 196 to 198. THREE CYLINDRICAL VASES or 
 cornets, with hunting scenes below, and flowering 
 shrubs above. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 199, 200. TWO GLOBULAR BOTTLES with tap- 
 ering necks. Isolated blossoms, leaves, and lozenges. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 60
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE VIII 
 
 201,202. TWO BOTTLES with short, straight 
 necks, fire-emblems and sprays of flowers. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 203. OVOID JAR. Chrysanthemum-scroll deco- 
 ration in deep blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6^ inches. 
 
 204. DOUBLE-GOURD BOTTLE. With em- 
 blems and ju-i heads. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 205. HANGING VASE. Ladies and flowers alter- 
 nating in six lotus-petal panels. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 206. OVOID VASE with short trumpet neck and 
 pyramidal base. With Lange Lijsen, etc., in six petal- 
 shaped panels. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^3 inches. 
 
 207. 208. TWO BOTTLES, pear-shaped. With 
 floral decoration. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 209. OVOID MINIATURE COVERED JAR. Dec- 
 oration of chrysanthemum-pattern in brilliant deep 
 blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4 inches. 
 
 210. BOTTLE, pear-shaped. With figures, etc. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ^/ 2 inches. 
 
 211,212. TWO CORNETS. Decoration of hunt- 
 ing scenes and floral devices. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 61
 
 CASE IX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 CASE IX 
 
 213,214. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES, expand- 
 ing at top and bottom. Series of pictures of the Lotus 
 Fete, which is an important anniversary in the palace 
 life of the imperial court at Pekin, and often affords 
 a motive for pictorial art in China. The ladies of the 
 court are culling the lotus blossoms from a lake in boats, 
 in the presence of the Emperor and Empress, who are 
 seated in state in a palace pavilion to watch the scene 
 and to have the flowers offered to them in due course. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19 inches. 
 
 215. LARGE OVOID VASE with cover. Same 
 motive. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 21 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xin) 
 
 216,217. TWO CYLINDRICAL JARS with covers. 
 Intricate floral and other ornament, with reserves con- 
 taining various designs. 
 Mark: A lozenge with ribbons. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 13^ inches. 
 
 218. OVOID JAR with cover. Reserves contain- 
 ing a variety of designs and ground of floral ornament. 
 Mark: A pearl with ribbons. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). , Height 12 inches. 
 
 219. OVOID JAR with wooden cover. Palmated 
 borders enclosing designs of flowers and plants. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 220. 221. TWO BOTTLES, pear-shaped. With 
 various floral and other ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 62
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE IX 
 
 222, 223. TWO BOTTLES, globular, with trumpet- 
 necks. Geometric pattern enclosing reserves with de- 
 signs of utensils and ornaments. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 224 to 226. THREE COVERED JARS. Blue re- 
 serves between palmated borders. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6^ inches. 
 
 227. GLOBULAR JAR. Fire-emblems, etc., on 
 dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4>^ inches. 
 
 228, 229. TWO TEA-POTS. Reticulated ground, 
 with blue reserves containing floral ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 230,231. TWO OVOID COVERED JARS. Blue 
 reserves with floral ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6K inches. 
 
 232. OVOID COVERED JAR. Blue reserves with 
 floral ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 233. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Floral designs in 
 cross-hatched blue. 
 
 Mark: A lozenge. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^& inches. 
 
 234. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Various ornament 
 in brilliant blue. 
 Mark: Yii (jade). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 63
 
 CASE IX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 235, 236. TWO MINIATURE TEA-POTS. Floral 
 ornament. 
 Mark: A blue leaf. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 237, 238. TWO MINIATURE TEA-POTS. Vases 
 and diverse ornaments. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 239. CUP AND SAUCER. Garden with birds and 
 flowers. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 2% and 4^3 inches. 
 
 240. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Brilliant blue floral 
 ornament. 
 
 Mark: Yu (jade). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 CASE X 
 
 241,242. TWO HAWTHORN PLATES. Groups 
 of prunus blossoms on dark blue cracked-ice ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter io> inches. 
 
 243,244. TWO DOUBLE GOURDS. A typical 
 pair of large gourd-shaped vases of the reign of Chia- 
 ching, of the Ming dynasty, with the mark boldly writ- 
 ten underneath in two columns, each of three charac- 
 ters, painted in a deep, full-toned blue; and all the de- 
 tails of the decoration of Ming style. The motive of 
 the decoration is that known as Cbu Hsien Ching Sbou 
 (The Company of Taoist Genii Worshipping the God 
 of Longevity). The divinity is seated on a rock on the 
 lower segment of the vase under the shade of spread- 
 ing pines, with the Polyporous fungus (ling-cbib) grow- 
 ing from the ground, and his other attributes, storks 
 and deer, near at hand. On his right hand are the twin 
 
 64
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE X 
 
 genii of union and concord (Ho Ho Erb Hsieri), on his 
 left Liu Han with his familiar, the three-legged toad. 
 The remainder of the circuit is occupied by the eight 
 genii (Pa Hsieri), recognized by the various attributes 
 they hold in their hands. 
 
 The upper segment of the gourds gives another view 
 of the Taoist realm of immortality, with two hermits 
 wandering through the glades of paradise (Sbou Shan), 
 and three others crossing the cosmic sea which leads 
 to its shores, the three being Liu Han, again riding on 
 his toad, and the same twin genii supported by their 
 peculiar attributes. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Chia-cbing nien cbib (Made in the 
 reign of Chia-ching of the great Ming dynasty). 
 Chia-ching (1522-1566). Height 21 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xiv) 
 
 245. WINE-JAR. With a cover containing an in- 
 terior flange designed to dip into a body of oil floating 
 on top of the wine, and exclude the air. A Ming wine 
 jar painted in blue with a reunion of scholars in a grove 
 of trees on a mountain side, with no mythological sur- 
 roundings. There are four principal figures, each of 
 which is accompanied by a young attendant carrying 
 respectively a ewer of wine, a branch of Olea fragrans, 
 the scholar's flower, a banner fan, and a lyre wrapped 
 in its brocaded case. The decoration is completed by 
 formal scrolls enclosing sprays of peony and chrysan- 
 themum, single blossoms of prunus, cloud scrolls and 
 emblems of good fortune. 
 
 The "mark" pencilled in detached characters round 
 the shoulder of the vase is Ta Ming Wan-li nien cbib. 
 Wan-li (1573-1619). Height 22 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xv) 
 
 246. JAR. Minute chrysanthemum decoration in 
 dark blue. 
 
 65
 
 CASE X] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Ch'eng-hua nien chih (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). 
 [ 1 465- 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 247, 248. TWO BOTTLES, globular, with bulbous 
 necks. Varied floral and other decoration. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 13^ inches. 
 
 249. TALL VASE. Decoration of chrysanthemum- 
 pattern interrupted by a band of geometrical orna- 
 ment. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i6K inches. 
 
 250. BOTTLE with short, wide neck. Varied or- 
 nament of separate sprays of the flowers of the four 
 seasons, disposed upon bands, and medallions of blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io^< inches. 
 
 251. BOTTLE with long neck. Chrysanthemum- 
 pattern in light blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 252 to 254. THREE COVERED JARS, tall, ovoid. 
 With landscapes and figures in dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10 inches. 
 
 255, 256. TWO VASES. Chrysanthemum-pattern, 
 with bands of palmations and geometrical ornament. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8>6 inches. 
 
 257. PERFUME-SPRINKLER. Chrysanthemum- 
 pattern, etc. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 258, 259. TWO TEA-POTS. Similar to Nos. 228, 
 229. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 66
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE X 
 
 260,261. TWO PERFUME-SPRINKLERS. Flow- 
 ers, etc., in dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 262. TEA-POT. Two disks with dragon in deep, 
 brilliant blue and Sbou mark on neck. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 6 inches. 
 
 263. COVERED CUP. Brilliant chrysanthemum 
 decoration. 
 
 Mark: A leaf of artemisia. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6% inches. 
 
 264. MINIATURE VASE. Blue reserves with flo- 
 ral ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 265. MINIATURE VASE. Lange Lijsen, etc. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 266. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Warriors and floral 
 ornament. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 267. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Lange Lijsen, etc., 
 in reserves. 
 
 Mark: Yii (jade). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4 inches. 
 
 268. 269. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. Miniature 
 egg-shell porcelain with beautifully drawn designs of 
 various subjects in brilliant blue. 
 
 Mark: A shell. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter \y z and 2^ inches. 
 
 270. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Figures and var- 
 ious decoration in brilliant blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 67
 
 CASE X] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 271,272. TWO MINIATURE TEA-POTS. Fig- 
 ures, etc. 
 
 Mark: On one, a shell. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2>i inches. 
 
 273. MINIATURE TEA-POT. Floral designs on 
 blue ground. 
 Mark: A leaf. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 247. MINIATURE BOTTLE. Floral designs on 
 blue reserves. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2^ inches. 
 
 275. MINIATURE VASE, ovoid. Dark blue flow- 
 ers. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 CASE XI 
 
 276, 277. TWO PLATES. Dramatic scenes suc- 
 cessive to that represented on the plate No. 154, and 
 with a similar six-character mark, Ta Ch'ing Kang-bsi 
 nien chih. 
 Kang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 10% inches. 
 
 278, 279. TWO VASES. One of graceful outline 
 and pleasing decoration, having the neck defined by 
 a prominent ring in the middle, decorated with sprays 
 of prunus standing out in white relief, emphasized by a 
 background of shaded blue. The body is covered in 
 a similar style with magnolia trees, the white of the 
 blossoms of which are heightened by blue halos. 
 
 The beaker is of similar style decorated with blossom- 
 ing prunus trees growing from rocks, together with an 
 occasional spray of bamboo and pine. The mark of 
 
 68
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XI 
 
 both pieces is a ling-cbih (sacred fungus), enclosed with- 
 in a double ring. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ ar d i8> inches. 
 
 280. CYLINDRICAL VASE. Souffle glaze, "soft 
 paste"; with isolated figure of lion, in blue, over black 
 linear drawing on the biscuit. An eagle similarly 
 drawn swoops threateningly above. The mytholo- 
 gical lion roaring at the eagle, suggests the eternal 
 cosmic conflict of terrestrial and celestial powers, ac- 
 cording to Chinese theories about the elements. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xvn) 
 
 281, 282. TWO BOTTLES with bulbous necks. 
 Floral and other decoration in reserved panels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 283. BOTTLE. Floral decoration and ornament in 
 blue reserves. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 284. OVOID VASE. Egg-shell porcelain, with re- 
 serves containing beautifully modelled designs in the 
 paste with a relieved border. Finely drawn, linear 
 work of butterflies and flowers and various ornaments. 
 The two principal panels, worked in white relief, con- 
 tain respectively a pheasant perched upon a rock be- 
 side magnolia yulan trees in blossom, and a phoenix 
 flying toward a clump of tree peonies (Pceonia moutari). 
 Each bird has usually its favorite floral association in 
 Chinese art, and these are typical instances. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 285. BOTTLE. Similar to Nos. 185, 186. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io>^ inches. 
 
 69
 
 CASE XI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 28610289. GARNITURE OF FOUR PIECES: 
 two cylindrical vases and two covered jars. Flowers in 
 two foliated panels; floral ornament and ju-i heads. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6% inches. 
 
 290. OVOID BOTTLE. Similar to Nos. 101, 102. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 291. PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE. Flowering plants 
 and shrubs. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^6 inches. 
 
 292. MINIATURE GLOBULAR BOTTLE. Chrys- 
 anthemum-scrolls and sweet-flag leaves in intense blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 293,294. TWO GLOBULAR BOTTLES. Four pan- 
 els with emblems and shrubs alternately. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 295. HAWTHORN CUP. Prunus blossoms on 
 ground of cracked-ice. Bands of ornament on stem 
 and foot. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4% inches. 
 
 296. MINIATURE PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE. 
 Shrubs and flowers in blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^2 inches. 
 
 29710299. THREE MINIATURE BOTTLES. 
 Scrolls in medallions on a cracked-ice ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 300. MINIATURE OVOID BOTTLE. Landscape 
 and figures in intense blue. 
 Mark: Ta Ming Chia-ching nien chib (Made in the 
 
 70
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XI 
 
 reign of Chia-ching of the great Ming dynasty), [i 522- 
 
 1 566 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2^ inches. 
 
 301. MINIATURE OVOID JAR. Chrysanthemum- 
 scroll in intense blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2^ inches. 
 
 302, 303. TWO MINIATURE PEAR-SHAPED 
 BOTTLES. Each with four Lange Li j sen and two jar- 
 dinieres of plants. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 304. MINIATURE OVOID JAR. Four Lange Li- 
 jsen and two flowering plants in six petal-shaped panels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 305, 306. TWO MINIATURE OVOID BOTTLES. 
 Floral ornament in foliated medallions. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 307. MINIATURE OVOID JAR. Scroll lotus in 
 foliated medallions and emblems. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 CASE XII 
 
 308. LARGE PLATE. In the centre a scalloped 
 circle with sprays of flowers, etc.; outside a ground- 
 work of geometrical ornament and eight foliate reserves 
 radiating from the centre circle, each with a flowering 
 plant, peony, chrysanthemum, plum, and lotus, and 
 four reserves with baskets of fruit, peaches, and pome- 
 granates alternately, with leaves. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 22 inches. 
 
 7'
 
 CASE XII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 309,310. TWO JARS. White crackle. Each deco- 
 rated with a lake and mountain landscape, in intense 
 blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 8^ inches. 
 
 311. COVERED JAR. Pure white porcelain, Lange 
 Lijsen pattern in deep blue, with three rows of round- 
 topped panels, the upper tier showing the eight Immor- 
 tals with their distinctive emblems; the second, ladies 
 playing on various musical instruments, and the lower, 
 ladies standing at ease, every third panel having a jar- 
 diniere on a stand with flowering plant. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Chia-ching nien cbih (Made in the 
 reign of Chia-ching of the great Ming dynasty). [1522- 
 1 566 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19 inches. 
 
 312. GLOBULAR FLASK with long neck. Pure 
 white porcelain, decorated in brilliant blue. The mo- 
 tive of the decoration of this fine piece is the transmi- 
 gration of the fish into the dragon, emblematic of the 
 success of the literary aspirant to official rank. The 
 fish, a gigantic carp in the picture, has surmounted the 
 Lung Men, or "Dragon's Gate," seen as two rocks with 
 the swirling waves of the Yellow River between them, 
 and is just about to enter the Yti Men, the "Jade Por- 
 tal," of the celestial regions, a two-storied pavilion, 
 where it attains its metempsychosis. The dragon ap- 
 pears coiled round the neck and shoulder of the bottle, 
 a powerfully designed, four-clawed scaly monster, 
 enveloped in flames, as it ascends into the firmament 
 pursuing the effulgent jewel of omnipotence. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ij% inches. 
 
 313. BEAKER with spreading mouth. Lange Lijsen 
 pattern on pure white porcelain in dark blue. Four 
 tiers of panels with foliated tops. In the top tier chil- 
 
 72
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XII 
 
 dren are with the ladies; in the second they are seated; 
 
 in the third they carry musical instruments. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Cbia-cbing nien chih (Made in the 
 
 reign of Chia-ching of the great Ming dynasty), [i 522- 
 
 1 566 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height iy|< inches. 
 
 314,315. TWO PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLES. Ar- 
 abesque borders at equal distances apart; from the 
 lower six depend precious objects. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8^ inches. 
 
 316, 317. TWO VASES, one with cylindrical cover. 
 Divided into six panels by indented vertical lines, each 
 decorated with Lange Lijsen. 
 Mark: A leaf. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 12^ inches. 
 
 318. FLASK-SHAPED BOTTLE. The body di- 
 vided into four vertical sections with foliated tops, con- 
 taining rocks and shrubs and emblems alternately; 
 between the sections sprays of flowering shrubs below, 
 and ling-chih. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16^ inches. 
 
 319 to 321. THREE VASES, inverted pear-shaped; 
 two with bell-shaped covers. Decorated with female 
 figures, sections of buildings, and palm-trees in bright 
 blue. 
 
 Mark: A leaf on one. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 322, 323. TWO OVOID VASES with long, slender 
 necks, and tiger-head handles. Divided into six panels 
 shaped as lotus petals, enclosing landscape scenes al- 
 ternating with vases of flowers. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ioK inches. 
 
 73
 
 CASE XIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 324. OVOID VASE. Chrysanthemums and leaf- 
 less prunus by rocks. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 325 to 329. FIVE CORNETS. With vases of flow- 
 ering shrubs above, landscapes on the centres, and 
 horsemen hunting rabbits and birds on bases in dark 
 blue. 
 
 Mark: Leaf within double ring. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 330. PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE. Landscape with 
 figures in dark blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6% inches. 
 
 331,332. TWO GLOBULAR BOTTLES. Lake, 
 mountains, and buildings, cavaliers and a ferryman in 
 his boat. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 333. CORNET. On base, horseman, hunting; 
 on centre, landscape; and above, jardinieres of flowers. 
 Mark: A leaf and knot. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 334. PERFUME-SPRINKLER. Scrolls and leaves 
 of sweet-flag. 
 
 Mark: A leaf. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 335. GLOBULAR BOTTLE with bulbous neck. 
 Three ladies, a palm-tree, and flowering shrubs. 
 Mark: A leaf with fillets. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height ^ inches. 
 
 336. MINIATURE BOTTLE. Lange Lijsen and 
 jardinieres with flowering plants. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 74
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XII 
 
 337. MINIATURE BOTTLE. Six vertical panels 
 with Lange Lijsen and flowering shrubs. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 338. MINIATURE VASE. Lange-Lijsen and flower- 
 ing shrubs in dark blue. 
 
 Mark: A leaf and ribbon. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 339. 340. TWO BOTTLES. Lady on horseback 
 carrying a lute; attendants on foot; emblems and sprays 
 of flowers. 
 
 Mark: Yii (jade). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 341. COVERED VASE. Flowering trees and a 
 man on horseback. 
 Mark: Yii (jade). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 342,343. TWO MINIATURE BOTTLES. Blue 
 reserves with floral devices. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3>< inches. 
 
 344. MINIATURE PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE. 
 Lange Lijsen separated by flowering shrubs. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 345. GLOBULAR BOTTLE with pear-shaped neck. 
 Decorated in deep brilliant blue with scroll leafage on 
 the body, and conventional flowers and lozenges on the 
 neck. 
 
 Mark: A blue leaf. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 75
 
 CASE XIII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 CASE XIII 
 
 346. WATER-BOTTLE. A blue and white bottle 
 of not high quality, surdecoree with a variety of enamel 
 colors of the muffle stove, including coral-red, apple- 
 green of crackled texture, pale yellow and crimson. 
 Blue and white pieces, we are told by native ceramic 
 writers, were often supplied with surdecoration of this 
 kind when the cobalt blue was spoiled in the first bak- 
 ing or when the ground came out clouded or spotted. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 347. BOWL. A typical example of crackled Ting 
 yao of Ch'ien-Lung date, intended to reproduce the 
 ancient ware of the Sung dynasty. The ornamental 
 designs are moulded in relief, and incised at the point, 
 and subsequently covered with a soft-looking glaze. 
 The so-called "soft glaze" of blue and white collectors 
 is made of a similar grayish pate, and painted with under 
 glaze blue before the crackled glaze is applied. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 1 1 inches. 
 
 348. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. A club- 
 shaped vase of the K'ang-hsi period, surdecoree with 
 enamels after a similar technique to No. 346. 
 
 Height 1 7^ inches. 
 
 349. SAUCER. In the centre, on a ground of floral 
 scroll-work in green, purple, and gold on white, a white 
 circular reseive with eight indented undurations, con- 
 taining a cluster of peony and pinks. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 350. SAUCER. A white and gold-edged circular 
 reserve with scalloped edges and wavy indentations 
 encloses a lake scene with islands, rocks, houses, and
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XIII 
 
 trees. A gold scroll border interrupted by eight rose- 
 colored lotus flowers encircles the picture. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 351. PERFUME-SPRINKLER. A perfume sprin- 
 kler decorated with po ku emblems, of rank and culture, 
 completed with foliated, "herringbone" and castellated 
 bands. The rims are touched with t^u-chin of brownish 
 old gold tone, a point considered by the old Dutch col- 
 lectors as distinctive of good quality. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height n inches. 
 
 352, 353. TWO GOURD VASES with tall necks. 
 The bodies are decorated with scarlet and white peo- 
 nies, and purple and yellow butterflies on a frog-spawn 
 ground, with two oblong white reserves showing scenes 
 with ladies and children in brilliant enamel colors. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io> inches. 
 
 354. BOWL. White egg-shell, with perforated rice- 
 pattern in the body translucent when illuminated from 
 within, and also visible when the vessel is filled with a 
 dark fluid. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 355. TRIPLE-GOURD VASE, with spreading 
 mouth above a bulbous collar. The two lower bulbs 
 and base are dark cafe-au-lait with creamy-white rings. 
 Above, pure white porcelain decorated in dark blue, 
 with four medallions enclosing flowers. Most of the 
 chocolate feuille-morte and cafe-au-lait pieces were 
 made for domestic use in Europe and imported through- 
 out the eighteenth century. Much of it was shipped 
 by the Dutch at Batavia, and it is still known to dealers 
 as "Batavian." 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height io>i inches. 
 
 77
 
 CASE XIIlJ THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 356. TRIPLE-GOURD VASE with spreading 
 mouth. The lower bulb is light cafe-au-lait, with two 
 scroll-shaped panels enclosing branches of rose peony 
 and plum, on which sits a black-headed yellow fly- 
 catcher with rose wings. The upper bulb and neck are 
 pure white porcelain, with intense blue decoration of 
 lotus flowers and scroll leaves in white reserve; and two 
 indented ovals enclosing incense-burners. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 357, 358. TWO VASES with spreading mouths. 
 Covered with deep-blue fish-roe, with sprays of flowers 
 and butterflies modelled in the paste in white reserves. 
 Two quadrilateral gold-edged white reserves enclosing 
 scenes with ladies and children painted in bright colors. 
 Round base is a blue border of foaming waves, and 
 above it a scroll border in gold with flowers and lozen- 
 ges. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 359. CUP. White Fuclien porcelain pierced in 
 delicate swastika pattern, with five circular reserves; 
 one shows a figure of Buddha, and the other four the 
 eight Immortals, in high relief in gold. 
 
 Mark: In blue, Ta Ming nien chih (Made in the great 
 
 Ming dynasty). [Apocryphal]. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 3^ inches. 
 
 360. CUP. White Fuchien porcelain pierced in 
 coin-pattern, interrupted by five medallions, each of 
 three concentric circles with radii. Each of the inner 
 circles contains a Chinese character. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 3^ inches. 
 
 361. INCENSE-BURNER with scroll handles. De- 
 
 78
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XIII 
 
 corated in relief with three-clawed dragons and scroll 
 leaves. The curved legs start from fish heads. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3^ inches. Diameter 4 inches. 
 
 362. MINIATURE GLOBULAR JAR. A grape- 
 vine starts from inside the rim, and spreads its leaves 
 over about half the upper part of the jar; on the other 
 side sits a squirrel, all finely modelled in relief. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 2^ inches. 
 
 363. CUP. Pierced in coin-pattern with five round 
 reserves with three-clawed dragons in low relief. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 3^ inches. 
 
 364. CUP. Pierced in coin-pattern and five circles, 
 each showing a phoenix flying over waves. The rim 
 has a pierced border of alternate coin and lotus flowers. 
 The conventional medallions of five phoenixes in the 
 pierced openwork design of this cup indicate that it was 
 specially made for the Empress. Such cups when used 
 have linings of beaten silver. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 3 finches. 
 
 365. YIN SE HO, OR SEAL COLOR-BOX, white 
 porcelain, biscuit, intended to hold a vermilion pad, of 
 which traces still remain inside. On top, in relief, a 
 finely modelled five-clawed dragon among fire-emblems 
 and nebulae. On the body are nebulae with waves 
 below. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 3^ inches. 
 
 36610368. THREE PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLES. 
 Grape-vine and squirrels in blue, and lotus-petal bor- 
 der. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 7 inches. 
 
 79
 
 CASE XIII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 369. BOTTLE with swelling neck. On body are 
 two female figures holding flowers; between them a 
 table on which a white rabbit sits. 
 
 Mark: A leaf with knot. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 370, 371. TWO VASES with ring handles. Fig- 
 ures, flowers, etc. 
 
 Mark: A leaf. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6% inches. 
 
 372. WINE-JUG. The body has four hexagonally 
 reticulated panels, the intervals being filled with rows 
 of plum flower and leaves, in grayish-blue. On each 
 side of the neck a blue panel enclosing conventional lotus 
 flower, with scroll leaves in white reserve. On the 
 bottom is a perforated coin. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 373. GOURD-SHAPED BOTTLE. Decorated in 
 dark and brilliant blue with two groups of lotus spring- 
 ing from below alternating with peonies drooping from 
 above. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6 l /Z inches. 
 
 374. FLASK-SHAPED BOTTLE. Decorated in 
 dark and brilliant blue with two groups of flowers 
 springing from rocks. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 375. PERFUME-SPRINKLER. Dark blue with 
 floral scroll-bands, with three chrysanthemums with 
 scroll stalks and leaves. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 376,377. TWO MINIATURE BOTTLES. Deep 
 blue, with foliated ornaments. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 80
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XIII-A 
 
 378, 379. TWO SMALL CYLINDRICAL VASES. 
 Decorated in deep blue; a swastika band round centre 
 separates a design showing a balcony with jardinieres 
 from one below showing two horsemen hunting. 
 Mark: A leaf with knot. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6 inches. 
 
 380, 381. TWO MINIATURE VASES. Dark blue; 
 three figures with jardinieres. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 382. BOWL. The rim is white with a blue dovetail 
 border, the body deep cafe-au-lait, pierced with round 
 holes leaving four oval reserves. Inside, dull blue, with 
 design of figures, etc. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 383. MINIATURE BOWL. The rim white, with 
 border in deep blue. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 3 % inches. 
 
 384, 385. TWO MINIATURE BOTTLES. Bright 
 blue foliated circles with sprays of flowers in white re- 
 serve. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 386. MINIATURE OVOID COVERED VASE. 
 Sprays of prunus starting from rocks. 
 Mark: A leaf. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 CASE XIII SECTION A 
 
 387. OVOID WIDE-MOUTHED VASE. Imita- 
 tion of carved cinnabar lacquer, with two gilded medal- 
 lions which in polychrome relief display a pair of archaic 
 
 81
 
 CASE XIII-A] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 dragons (cb'ih lung) passing through scrolls of Poly- 
 porus fungus (ling chih). The base and interior of the 
 neck of the vase are enamelled green, suggestive of its 
 fabrication at the imperial potteries. Blue enamel 
 bands about the shoulder and base, and rudimentary 
 handles of elephant heads. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 12 inches. 
 
 388. TURQUOISE BEAKER. Landscape model- 
 led in the paste, together with various decorations, be- 
 neath a rich crackled glaze of turquoise. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 22^ inches. 
 
 389, 390. HAWK AND PHEASANT. Two birds 
 perched on rocks with rich decoration in opaque enam- 
 els. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung(i736-i795). Height n and 14 inches. 
 
 391. WINE-POT. Rich decoration in opaque and 
 transparent enamels; on the sides the Immortals upon 
 cloud-forms about a Sbou character modelled in a disk. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). . Height 12 inches. 
 
 392. BOWL. Reticulated floral pattern, within 
 and without, in black on a yellow ground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 9 inches. 
 
 393. SAUCER. Decoration, fashioned after a Eu- 
 ropean drawing, depicting five personages in eighteenth- 
 century costume, seated about a table, each with a 
 document variously dated and inscribed. Beneath the 
 table is a rich rug, and a tessellated blue floor fills the 
 foreground. The material of the background is all 
 European. The episode seems to commemorate the 
 signature of a treaty. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xx) 
 
 82
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XIII-A 
 
 394. ROSE-BACKED SAUCER. The Taoist fig- 
 ure, of unusual aspect, must be intended for Lao Tzu, 
 the founder of Taoism, with scroll and gourd tied upon 
 his pilgrim staff, and the classics of his cult carried on 
 the back of a deer. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 10 inches. 
 
 395,396. TWO ROSE-BACKED SAUCERS, egg- 
 shell porcelain. Beautifully drawn and brilliant deco- 
 ration of two cocks and a hen with flowers and rocks in 
 rich transparent enamels. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xx AND PLATE xxv) 
 
 CASE XIV 
 
 397. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. On front 
 and back are upright rectangular white reserves on a 
 ground of rich copper-red, one showing an equestrian 
 figure in gorgeous apparel who, on a yellow-ochre horse, 
 with red trappings, is gazing at two ladies in green in a 
 green jinrikisha with a bare-legged runner. Beyond 
 the horseman is a youth in green, with a rod over his 
 shoulder, from which hangs a fan. The second panel 
 shows three ladies in green around a table, in the fore- 
 ground two boys in green playing with a crab. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 18 inches. 
 
 398, 399. TWO FLASK-SHAPED BOTTLES with 
 long, tapering necks slightly spreading at the mouths. 
 White porcelain. Each shows three cb'i-lins of gor- 
 geous color; one salmon-pink, with deep green head and 
 red and purple mane, tail, and "feather"; another pale 
 yellow, with red and purple trimmings; the third green, 
 trimmed with red and purple, a ju-i head upon his tail. 
 Each stands on his individual rock of varying tints of
 
 CASE XIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 purple, green, and rose, a dark-green sea foaming 
 around him. Round base of neck is a band of red, yel- 
 low, and blue flowers on black speckle under clear- 
 green enamel, with four white oblong reserves with 
 rounded and indented ends defined in bright purple, 
 each containing a purple and yellow p'an-lung, or water- 
 dragon. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 20 inches. 
 
 400, 401. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with trum- 
 pet mouths. Large vertical leaf-shaped reserves on a 
 brilliant blue ground which is overlaid with isolated 
 prunus blossoms. Graceful decoration of flowers in 
 brilliant enamels and gold fill the reserves. Mounted 
 in French ormolu. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 402. GLOBULAR BOTTLE. In dark tea-glaze 
 with four circular reserves, in the white paste, each con- 
 taining an arrangement of brilliant flowers in trans- 
 parent enamels within a gold border. A good speci- 
 men of the softly mottled tea dust (cVa yeh mo) ground 
 of the Ch'ien-lung period, flecked all over with points 
 of gold, a production of the imperial factory, with the 
 seal mark of the reign stamped underneath in the paste. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height I2> inches. 
 
 403. OVOID VASE, egg-shell porcelain. Two re- 
 serves on a blue reticulated ground, containing land- 
 scapes copied from Dresden originals. Band of gold 
 floral and geometric ornament about the open neck. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 404. BOWL WITH COVER AND SAUCER. Ela- 
 borate design of floral scroll-work with flowers in rose, 
 lilac, sulphur-yellow and delicate greens, alternating 
 with two leaf-shaped white reserves, each showing a
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XIV 
 
 golden jar with green cords and purple tassels, holding 
 
 flowers, and a gold basket. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 5^ and 8 inches. 
 
 405, 406. TWO OVOI D VASES, egg-shell porcelain. 
 Elaborate and minute decoration of landscapes with 
 figures in delicate colors. Bands of floral and geomet- 
 ric ornament at neck and foot. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 10 inches. 
 
 407. HEXAGONAL PI T'UNG (brush receptacle). 
 The sides pierced in hexagonal reticulation framed in 
 pale blue, with white scrolls, rose magnolia, and red, 
 rose, and yellow lotus flowers with green leaves in re- 
 serve. Each panel has a central white reserve bearing 
 a decorative design. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 6 inches. Width 8 inches. 
 
 408. BOWL WITH COVER AND SAUCER, egg- 
 shell porcelain. Beautiful decoration in rose, ruby, 
 and gold. The body of the bowl has conventional lotus 
 flowers in gold and purplish-blue with scroll stems and 
 leaves in gold and white, outlined in red on white 
 ground, with four white indented oval reserves with 
 foliated tops, outlined in bluish-green. Two contain 
 a blue-crested rose flycatcher, perched on a branch of 
 rose and yellow plum with deep-green leaves; another 
 a lady, in deep blue, with a child; another a man seated 
 on a rug with a child. The predominating effect is of 
 rose and gold throughout, and is of unusual richness. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1975). 
 
 Diameter 4^ and 6>^ inches. 
 (SAUCER, PLATE xxm, RIGHT) 
 
 409. BOWL WITH COVER AND SAUCER. Egg- 
 shell porcelain. Similar to No. 404. In the centre 
 
 85
 
 CASE XIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 of lid a light rose camellia, with rich green leaves. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Diameter 4^ and 6% inches. 
 
 410 to 419. TEN ROSE-BACKED PLATES, egg- 
 shell porcelain. Beautifully drawn and painted de- 
 sign of a globular vase and flat dish filled with flowers 
 and fruits, the whole within a double border of geo- 
 metric ornament embracing three reserves containing 
 the floral emblems of abundance of sons, of years, and 
 of promotions. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8>6 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxvn) 
 
 CASE XV 
 
 420 to 423. GARNITURE OF TWO MANDARIN 
 QUADRILATERAL AND TWO OVIFORM VASES. 
 All bearing an elaborate and closely wrought decoration 
 on large reserves, supported on a rose or copper-red 
 ground, overlaid with diaper ornament in gold. Festi- 
 vals in the open air with profuse detail of figures, land- 
 scape, and various accessories cover the entire surface, 
 and the general style is Cantonese, being identical with 
 that found in Canton enamels. 
 Late Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795) 
 or Chia-ch'ing (1796-1820). Height 25 and 1 8^ inches. 
 
 424,425. TWO OVIFORM WIDE-NECKED BOT- 
 TLES. A pair of bottles from the imperial potteries 
 of the reign of Chia-ch'ing, as testified by the seal un- 
 derneath and the coat of green enamel around it, as 
 well as in the neck of the vase. The chief motive of 
 decoration consists of groups of boys masquerading on a 
 balustrade, holding up various implements and flowers, 
 which, by a curious conceit, are intended to convey, 
 rebus fashion, wishes of good augury. They read here: 
 
 86
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XV 
 
 Fu kuei cbi cb'ing ju (Happiness, promotion and good 
 luck!) and Pi ting ju i (May every wish be fulfilled !) 
 Chia-ch'ing (1796-1820). Height 12^ inches. 
 
 426 to 428. GARNITURE OF DOUBLE GOURD 
 AND TWO VASES with wide horizontal lips. All in 
 elaborate reticulated or pierced pattern, woven in gilt 
 bands on the gourd, and formally net-like on the others. 
 Theunpierced portions are covered with brilliant opaque 
 enamels and gold. Seal-mark of reign. 
 Chia-ch'ing (1796-1820). Height 12^ and 9^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxn) 
 
 429 to 436. EIGHT ROSE-BACKED PLATES. In 
 the central white circle a richly attired lady with two 
 or three children surrounded by a profusion of objects 
 of luxury, ornament, and use. The borders are rose 
 octagon-and-square with fruit, and petal-shaped re- 
 serves enclosing flowers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8y& inches. 
 
 (NO. 431, PLATE XXIII. NO. 435, PLATE XXVII.) 
 
 437. ROSE-BACKED PLATE. In centre circle a 
 landscape with two girls and three sheep in delicate 
 colors; the border is rose octagon-and-square, with 
 three oblong and three oval reserves enclosing colored 
 flowers and black orchid blossoms. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8> inches. 
 
 438. ROSE-BACKED PLATE. In centre circle 
 a lady sits on a dark brown bench attended by two 
 children. The inner border is swastika on pale green, 
 with black scroll dragons in reserves; the outer octagon- 
 and-square on rose, with peonies in three reserves and 
 three deep blue Shou characters in circles. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8X inches. 
 
 87
 
 439- BEAKER VASE. A magnificent beaker- 
 shaped vase of K'ang-Hsi decorated in brilliant enamels 
 with scenes of military life. It was not uncommon at 
 this time to decorate a pair of such tall vases as com- 
 panions, one with scenes of civil official life, called 
 Wen T'ing; the other, like this one, under the name 
 of Wu T'ing, or "Military Vase." Rocks and trees 
 form a framework to the picture. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28 inches. 
 
 440. LARGE CYLINDRICAL VASE. Copper-red 
 prevailing in the decoration, which embraces various 
 designs, depicting family life. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28 inches. 
 
 441. BEAKER with spreading mouth and base. 
 A worthy pendant of No. 439 being a Wen T'ing, deco- 
 rated with scenes of official life in China, although not 
 precisely one of a pair with it. Note the apparatus of 
 the "four liberal arts" in the reserves on the diapered 
 band encircling the shoulder of the vase the chess- 
 board, the scholar's lyre, books and scroll paintings. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28 inches. 
 
 442. OVOID TRUMPET-MOUTHED VASE. Bril- 
 liant white porcelain, with a bold and freely drawn de- 
 coration of lotus and other flowers with birds and insects. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17 inches. 
 
 443 to 445. GARNITURE OF THREE PIECES. 
 Very elaborate decoration throughout of ceremonial 
 and legendary scenes in the festival of the Dragon pro- 
 cession celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon, 
 painted in minute detail in spaces contained within dark 
 ruby borders overlaid with close floral ornament. The 
 
 88
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XVI 
 
 centre piece shows an exquisitely drawn view of the 
 Taoist paradise with a group of their immortal hermits 
 dispatching wands of fate by cranes; one of them is 
 seen on the back of the vase on his mission to the tem- 
 ple in mid-ocean. Seal-mark of reign. 
 Chia-ch'ing (1796-1820). Height 12% and 1 1 inches. 
 
 446. VASE with bell-shaped cover. Isolated pru- 
 nus blossoms on a ground of deep-green cracked ice, 
 with leaf-shaped and other reserves filled with floral 
 and other designs. 
 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 1 6 inches. 
 
 447. PEAR-SHAPED JAR with cover. Celadon, 
 with leaf-shaped reserves containing sprays of flowers 
 and insects. Rose border at the shoulder and base. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height io> inches. 
 
 448 to 45 1 . FOUR ROSE-BACKED PLATES, egg- 
 shell porcelain. In the centre, on a ground of black 
 Y-pattern on light greenish-blue, a white foliated hexa- 
 gon or octagon outlined in gold and black encloses a 
 lady seated in a slender chair, richly attired and vari- 
 ously occupied. In the foreground are children in rich 
 dresses, and a profusion of accessories in the way of 
 vases, fruits, flowers, musical instruments, toys, books, 
 furniture and ornaments. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 (NO. 449, PLATE xxi) 
 
 452, 457. TWO ROSE-BACKED PLATES, egg- 
 shell porcelain. In the centre a lady, in costume of 
 pale rose and yellow-green, elaborately embroidered 
 in black, and a deep, purple-blue scarf, a rose camellia 
 in her black hair, sits on a low ebony bench and looks 
 down on three children in the foreground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxv)
 
 CASE XVI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 453 to 456. FOUR ROSE-BACKED PLATES, egg- 
 shell porcelain. The white circular centre shows a 
 lady in rich apparel all embroidered in black, seated 
 in a pale-yellow and brown bamboo armchair; her right 
 arm rests on a white-topped ebony table on which a 
 gold incense-burner stands to left of a deep blue sprink- 
 ler with gold scroll dragons, holding two gold- and pur- 
 ple-eyed green peacock feathers and a branch of coral. 
 To the right of the lady a child, a rose lotus flower in 
 his left hand, advances on another in the centre fore- 
 ground, who shows a yellow "hand of Buddha" in his 
 right hand. Further to left another child stands hold- 
 ing a vase. A narrow border of delicate black scroll 
 on pale sea-green encircles the picture, outside which 
 is a border of black-flowered diamond on pale yellow- 
 green interrupted by three oblong white reserves, the 
 foliated ends defined in gold and rose, each with a scroll 
 water-dragon tinted in cobalt. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 CASE XVII 
 
 458. PLATE. With decoration in centre and on 
 rim of flowers and butterflies in brilliant enamel colors 
 on a frog-spawn ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 12^ inches. 
 
 459, 460. TWO LARGE JARS with bell-shaped 
 covers. The precious objects of the Taoists, some 
 marked with the character Shou, are arranged on a frog- 
 spawn ground which supports four large quadrilateral 
 reserves, outlined in yellow, with scalloped bases and 
 scalloped and foliated tops, showing interior scenes il- 
 lustrating historical episodes; the scenes are the same 
 on each piece, varying little but in the colors of the 
 costumes. Round the base is a frog-spawn border 
 with eight quadrilateral yellow-edged reserves with 
 
 90
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XVII 
 
 foliated tops containing the flowers of the four seasons. 
 The neck is decorated with peonies, lotus, prunus 
 chrysanthemums, and convolvulus, with butterflies 
 in brilliant enamel colors. On the covers are four 
 pyramidal reserves, with foliated tops, on a frog- 
 spawn ground, each showing boys at play; between these 
 reserves vases with flowers or peacock feathers with the 
 Shou or Yang and Yin sign in red on each. The top 
 is bright purple-blue. Magnificent examples of the 
 brilliant coloring which distinguishes the reign of K'ang- 
 hsi. The cobalt blue, as here, is usually applied over 
 the glaze and fired in the muffle stove with the other 
 enamels of the polychrome palette. It takes a pur- 
 plish tinge, and stands out in a tangible relief, but has 
 one disadvantage in that it has a tendency to scale off. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 23 inches. 
 
 461. CYLINDRICAL EWER with tiara top, used 
 for iced fruit syrups; another magnificent example 
 of the above class. The strongly designed dragon is 
 four-clawed, as is usual in the finest pieces of the time 
 which are not from the imperial factory. Note the 
 crackled texture of the green enamels, as interesting 
 points of comparison with contemporary monochrome 
 glazes executed with the same materials. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 20 inches. 
 
 462, 463. TWO HEXAGONAL LANTERNS. Egg- 
 shell porcelain, decorated in most brilliant transparent 
 enamels of the K'ang-hsi period on a paste of exquisite 
 fineness. Each piece is surmounted by a crenelated 
 crown, originally gilt, and the hexagonal retreating 
 base rests in a metal stand or socket of similar design. 
 The six panels bear decorations depicting traditional 
 incidents. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \2% inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxiv AND PLATE xxvi) 
 
 9'
 
 CASE XVII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 464, 465. TWO OVOID EGG-SHELL VASES. The 
 one has very delicate and rich decoration of numerous 
 elaborately attired figures. Two ladies seated, one with 
 her back turned, the other in pale blue. To the right, a 
 girl in pink, on a dark green seat; behind her a purple 
 jar and a bamboo cabinet. In the foreground a lady in 
 a chair, at her knee the head and shoulder of a child. 
 Beyond a young girl, and to the left of the lady working, 
 two boys stand in the foreground, one with a black and 
 gold stand of arrows. The other has just shot an arrow 
 from a yellow bow, and in front of him, on the floor, lie 
 three brilliant yellow peaches, each transfixed by an 
 arrow. The inscription on this beautiful eggshell 
 vase records the date, the residence and the name of 
 the studio of the artist decorator, who has attached 
 his seal below. The date at the beginning is the cyc- 
 lical year chi yu, which would correspond to A. D. 
 1729. 
 
 A companion vase, but inscribed and sealed by an ar- 
 tist who writes: " Painted on a winter day at Chu Chiang 
 in the Chin Shui T'ing" (literally Waterside Pavilion), 
 but giving no date. Figures and accessories of a sim- 
 ilar character. A lady, to her right a child in rose- 
 tinted jacket; front a slender girl; all three regard 
 another child, to the right, who recites under the di- 
 rection of a lady. To the left of the seated lady, in the 
 foreground, is a child who carries a black-handled white 
 standard with gold top and pendant white sounding- 
 stone, and addresses himself to the other child. 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 8 inches. 
 
 466. HEXAGONAL LANTERN. Fine egg-shell 
 porcelain in reticulated and perforated pattern with 
 medallion reserves bearing delicate floral decoration. 
 Crenelated top and gilt metal stand. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxiv) 
 
 92
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XVII 
 
 467 10469. THREE LARGE ARMORIAL PLATES. 
 Fine white porcelain, with brilliant decoration in five- 
 color enamels of late seventeenth or early eighteenth 
 century. Made in China to fill an order sent out from 
 Holland, and each carrying the armorial bearings of 
 places as follows, to wit: Loven, Amsteldam, and Meg- 
 gelen. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 17 and 15 inches. 
 
 470, 471. TWO BLUE AND WHITE PLATES. 
 With borders of Chinese landscapes in reserves sur- 
 rounding a design copied from a European engraving, 
 and showing a trio of musicians a lady at a dulcimer, 
 a flautist, and a lute player, all in the style of Louis XIV 
 and treated with characteristic Chinese fidelity. Late 
 seventeenth century. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 13 inches. 
 
 472. LARGE PLATE. Rich decoration of red, 
 gold, and blue in the style taken to Japan by Kakiyem- 
 mon, and familiar as Imari. 
 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Or early Ch'ien-lung (1736- 
 1795). Diameter 1 6 inches. 
 
 CASE XVIII 
 
 473. BEAKER with spreading lip and slightly 
 spreading base. The legendary battle scene which 
 forms the main decoration of this imposing vase is 
 taken from one of the semi-historical romances, per- 
 haps the Shui hu cb'uan (The story of the river pi- 
 rates) . One of the banners emblazoned san chun would 
 be that of thecommander-in-chief of the imperial armies. 
 The emblems enclosed in the reserve panels of the bro- 
 caded band encircling the shoulder of the vase com- 
 prise: a chessboard for "the game of war" a hanging 
 
 93
 
 CASE XVIII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 musical plaque of jade, a lyre wrapped in its case, and a 
 wine cup of rhinocerous horn. On the neck of the vase, 
 as if presiding over the scene below, are grouped the 
 Taoist triad, Fu, Lu, Shou, the star gods of happiness, 
 rank and longevity. The first of the three bears in 
 front a banner with four large gold characters on it, 
 Tien kuan t%'u fu (The celestial official who bestows 
 happiness). The pineclad rocks which form the back- 
 ground of the figure scenes present a gorgeous decora- 
 tive effect in shades of green. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 30 inches. 
 
 474. LARGE CLUB-SHAPED VASE. Boldly 
 drawn decoration of figures in predominating tones of 
 copper-red, in similar style and technique to No. 440. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 475. BEAKER with spreading lips and base. A 
 striking specimen of the finest Chinese ceramic art, 
 complete in every detail. The luminous green ground, 
 stippled with black, on which the butterflies are brightly 
 displayed, is spread with natural sprays of flowers and 
 fruit, after the decorative motive known technically 
 as po hud (a hundred flowers). The large foliated 
 panels on the neck of the vase exhibit two of the most 
 characteristic flowers, the peony and chrysanthemum. 
 The other reserve panels on the body are of pleasingly 
 varied outline, the po ku emblems being grouped in 
 pomegranates, the sea monsters in ficus religiosa leaves, 
 and the birds and landscapes on lotus leaves partly un- 
 rolled at the edges. In every particular it will repay 
 careful study. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 31 inches. 
 
 476. CYLINDRICAL INCENSE-BURNER. Form- 
 ed as two sections of bamboo. Richly diapered 
 ground of rose and gold, with isolated blossoms and 
 
 94
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XVIII 
 
 band of scroll-lotus, the centre of each flower bearing 
 
 a circular Shou character. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height \\J4 inches. 
 
 477. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. Cover- 
 ed with a frog-spawn ground on which are red, yellow, 
 black, and rose daisies, and three p'an-lung (water-drag- 
 ons), one rose-colored, the others yellow, descending 
 between three large quadrilateral white reserves, out- 
 lined in broad yellow and narrow green lines, with 
 rounded corners, scalloped bottoms, and foliated tops 
 with curls and ju-i heads at the corners, enclosing elab- 
 orately decorated flower-baskets, with black handles 
 and black decorated rims, in which are red, yellow, 
 and blue chrysanthemums, and red lotus, peonies, and 
 prunus with leaves of varying green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 478. DOUBLE-GOURD BOTTLE on a carved 
 ebony stand. Covered with sprays of red and rose 
 chrysanthemum, red prunus, red and yellow asters, 
 with black and green, yellow, and rose, butterflies on a 
 ground of pale-green frog-spawn, with four large re- 
 serves shaped as leaves and fruit, showing the flowers 
 of the four seasons, peony, lotus, chrysanthemum, and 
 prunus, with appropriate birds. On the shoulder a 
 border with semi-blossoms of red and white, rose- 
 colored and yellow prunus, with deep green leaves in 
 triplets, between four white reserves shaped alternately 
 as pomegranate and "hand of Buddha," containing 
 sprays of rose prunus and yellow and white lotus. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 479. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. Sprays 
 of conventional lotus, red, yellow, rose, and purple, 
 with rose and .yellow butterflies on a rich green frog- 
 spawn ground, support four quadrilateral white re- 
 
 95
 
 CASE XVIIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 serves with indented corners, one showing a green lion 
 contemplating the blue, black, and yellow asters which 
 grow on the red and green rocks around him ; above are 
 green and orange nebulae. The opposite reserve has a 
 red and yellow lion standing among red and green 
 rocks, on which grow fungi and flowers, and exhaling 
 five black bats in an orange-red breath which partly 
 hides the green and yellow clouds above. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 48010483. FOUR ROSE-BACKED SAUCERS, 
 egg-shell porcelain. In the white circular centre a lady 
 in costume of rose and pale green embroidered in black 
 and brilliant blue, and white scarf, gold ornaments in 
 her hair, sits in a high-backed carved ebony arm-chair, 
 regarding a child in the left foreground, dressed in 
 black-embroidered green coat, rose trousers, and gold 
 necklet, who holds in his left hand a black bird's wing, 
 while with his right he exhorts a brown sleeve-dog with 
 white or black spots, who romps at the lady's feet. 
 The accessories are a large white cracked-ice jar with 
 yellow interior, and a large covered one of light blue 
 with black scroll decoration, and a black and gold or 
 green and gold box of books. To the right is another 
 child in rose coat, pale yellow trousers, gold necklet, 
 and gold head-dress, who leans to the right holding a 
 gold ju-i sceptre; another in blue peeps over his shoul- 
 der, to the left, while between him and the lady, in the 
 background, is a tall, yellow, brown-spotted bamboo 
 stand, with pale blue top, on which stands a purple 
 green and gold incense-burner and a dull green vase 
 with two gold-eyed, dark green peacock feathers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 484. ROSE-BACKED SAUCER, egg-shell porce- 
 lain. A lady, in rose jacket, pale green apron, and 
 white skirt, is seated facing to the left, in a pale yellow 
 
 96
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XVIII 
 
 brown-spotted bamboo armchair; over her left shoulder 
 she holds a gold-mounted white fly-flap. To the right 
 a child in rose coat and blue trousers and gold necklet 
 runs with raised hands toward another in green coat 
 and trousers, a gold neck-chain with large gold pendant 
 and rose tassel hanging down his back; another in 
 brilliant blue coat looks out from beyond the lady to 
 the left, in front of him a white rabbit with rosy ears 
 sits on the floor, and another spotted one in the centre 
 foreground. To the right, behind the lady's chair, 
 stands a large white cracked-ice jar. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 485 to 492. EIGHT ROSE-BACKED SAUCERS, 
 egg-shell porcelain. In the white central circle, a lady 
 in rosy-purple jacket lined with pale yellow, green em- 
 broidered apron, and pale-rose skirt and gold-em- 
 broidered black scarf, sits on a box-seat of deep cucum- 
 ber-green with rosy panels and brown-yellow top, rest- 
 ing her right hand on a blue- or green-covered box of 
 books which stands on the seat to the left, as she looks 
 down at two children to the right, one of whom, in rose 
 coat, light green pants, and necklace with two gold 
 pendants suspended behind him, presents to her a lotus 
 plant with white and rose flowers growing in a golden 
 jardiniere. Beyond the two a massive oval jar and a 
 large covered jar; and, behind, a yellow circular bam- 
 boo stand with mottled top, on which is a rose camellia 
 and a vase of purple and green. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 CASE XIX 
 
 493, 494. TWO BEAKERS with long narrow necks 
 with convex centres, spreading mouths and bases, and 
 black handles. These two beakers, brilliantly dec- 
 orated in enamel colors of early K'ang-hsi date, are 
 
 97
 
 CASE XVIIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 remarkable for the fact that the blue is all under the 
 glaze, having been fixed at the first firing, after the 
 technique of the preceding Ming dynasty. The mo- 
 tive is a historical scene, the Emperor Yu Wang (B. C. 
 781-771), of the Chou dynasty, being seated with his 
 favorite consort, Pao Ssu, surrounded by courtiers 
 watching the arrival of feudatories who had been sum- 
 moned by a false alarm to rescue the capital from a pre- 
 tended assault by Tatars, all to gain a smile from the 
 notorious Pao Ssu. (See Mayer's Chinese Reader's Man- 
 ual, p. 1 68). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26% inches. 
 
 495. TALL BEAKER with long neck, spreading 
 mouth, and slightly spreading base, of the same beauty 
 and style of decoration as No. 475. The emblems 
 enclosed in the brocaded band around the shoulder 
 are all musical, comprising a bronze bell, castanets, a 
 mouth reed organ, and a copper chime mounted on its 
 frame. The appropriate association of birds and flow- 
 ers in the reverse panels is proceeded by pictures of 
 the phoenix and peony, of mandarin ducks and lotus 
 flowers, wild geese and reeds, of storks and peaches, 
 joins emblems of longevity, and the rest. Among 
 animals sacred deer are grouped with pines, the sea 
 monster and eagle with pines, and dryandras, and the 
 eight chargers of the ancient Emperor Mu Wang, with 
 willows. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 32 inches. 
 
 496, 497. TWO BEAKERS with long necks and 
 spreading mouths and bases. Each shows on the body 
 an exceedingly rich decoration in which green and gold 
 predominate; two crested pheasants in plumage of blue, 
 red, green, orange, and gold on the limb of a tree, with 
 blue-green and white flowers, which, starting in front 
 of pale green and purple rocks, spreads upward round
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XIX 
 
 the vase; red flies hover round the ends of the branches, 
 beneath which grow red, blue, green, and golden peonies 
 and black and red asters, with leaves of bright purple 
 and pale and dark green. On the neck are two finches 
 in green, orange, and dark blue, with black heads, one 
 perched on a deep green twig, the other regarding him 
 from a rock behind which grow red, purple, and gold 
 peonies; from the sandy foreground springs purple iris, 
 and above is a golden sun. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 498. BOWL of white porcelain. Decorated in bril- 
 liant enamel colors, showing a ceremonial scene where 
 a personage in yellow robe, green cape, and gold head- 
 dress, performs on a yellow-topped drum, decorated 
 with red lotus and scroll-work, accompanied on the 
 flute by another man in blue with a green cape and 
 black and gold hat, while two in pale green official 
 robes embroidered in black hold gold banners charged 
 with emblems of the sun and moon, and borders of 
 blue; behind, another, in bright green, holds a sacri- 
 ficial tripod cup aloft in his left hand. To the left a 
 man in red, green, and rose stands by a lady in green, 
 red, and gold, who holds a fan ; beyond them stands a 
 pale yellow stag embellished with black stars and rosy 
 horns, and a rose-colored doe spotted with black circles, 
 close to a green palm behind a fantastic blue rock. In 
 the foreground a man in blue robe and gold belt kneels 
 and points to the left. All the men have official hats 
 of black and gold. From the right come five girls, in 
 red, yellow, green, pale green, and bright blue dresses, 
 playing on musical instruments, another in bright green 
 carries a gold wine-pot. In the foreground are two 
 red-crested, black and white cranes. A building with 
 swastika grill in black on green, and a panel of flowered 
 hexagon in red on white, forms a background to the 
 group. A long window, at each side of which hang pale 
 
 99
 
 CASE XIX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 yellow curtains, decorated with deep purple plum 
 blossoms and a pale red one with nebulae and lozenges 
 in deep red and gold, is seen between the girl musicians 
 and two others in green, pale green, yellow, and gold, 
 who follow with gold incense burners hanging from 
 rods; between these two, in the distance, is a peacock 
 with expanded tail of rich blue spotted with gold; next 
 comes a lady in yellow, red, and green robes, and blue 
 and gold peacock head-dress, followed by two maids, 
 in pale green, with black and gold head-gear, who 
 carry long-handled fans of red, blue, and gold. Last of 
 the procession are two girls in pale green, who are com- 
 ing through a gateway in a wall topped with yellow 
 tiles, one carrying a red cushion. The wall ends in a 
 green-tiled pagoda tricked with blue, with blue and red 
 swastika grills, and a window from which a lady in 
 bright blue and green, holding a gold fan, another in 
 green, and a man in rose, are looking forth. Large palms 
 and red chrysanthemums shooting from behind purple 
 and green rocks, with trees beyond, with bright red 
 flowers, intervene here; above are clouds traced in red, 
 among which is seen part of a green-tiled building, 
 trimmed with red and purplish blue, and a gold fire- 
 emblem at the peak. 
 
 Mark: A seal in a double blue ring, containing the char- 
 acter chih, meaning "by imperial order." 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 15 inches. 
 
 499. ROSE-BACKED PLATE, egg-shell porcelain. 
 The central circle has a ground of black Y-pattern un- 
 der light cobalt-blue enamel, with a hexagonal foliated 
 white reserve, outlined in purple and gold, showing a 
 lady in pale rose jacket, white skirt, and deep blue 
 scarf, standing in the foreground to the right, with a 
 black bird's wing in her right hand, looking down at a 
 long-tailed, black-spotted white cat standing upon a pale 
 yellow-green citron with deep green leaves. Beyond, 
 
 100
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XIX 
 
 to the left, stands another lady, dressed in pale rose 
 and greenish-yellow, who holds up a gold ju-i sceptre 
 from which hang two interlocked gold rings, and pre- 
 sides over a blue dish of rosy apples and pale yellow 
 citrons ("hands of Buddha"); to the left two children, 
 in coats of pale rose and blue and white trousers, stand 
 together looking longingly at the fruit. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 500. ROSE-BACKED PLATE, egg-shell porcelain. 
 A foliated octagonal gold-edged white reserve showing 
 a bronze flower-basket with black Y-pattern and white 
 circular medallions with sprays of peony, prunus and 
 aster in rose, blue-green, and yellow; round the handle, 
 which falls to the left, is tied a bright cobalt-blue ribbon 
 with gold ends. The basket is filled with rose peonies 
 and pinks, blue and yellow asters, and white prunus. 
 On a rose-colored stand to the right is a brilliant cobalt- 
 blue dish, containing green apples, broken pomegran- 
 ate, yellow "hand of Buddha," and a rose camellia. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8f inches. 
 
 501, 502. TWO ROSE-BACKED PLATES, egg- 
 shell porcelain. Each with a central round medallion 
 with irregular wavy edge defined in black, showing a 
 lady, in dress of pale rose and green, seated on a rose- 
 colored garden-seat facing to left, her sleeve resting on 
 the corner of an ebony table with black and white mar- 
 ble top, part of which is seen in the right foreground, 
 and on it a pear-shaped vase of brilliant ultramarine, 
 on a rose-colored stand, in which is a spray of rose 
 prunus; beyond is a gold plate with rosy apples. In 
 her right hand the lady holds a twig of red prunus with 
 leaves and fruit. Beyond, to the left, runs a child in 
 an ultramarine coat and pale rose trousers, looking up 
 at the lady, and extending his right arm in the air. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 101
 
 CASE XIX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 503. ROSE-BACKED PLATE, egg-shell porcelain. 
 In the central circle on the right is a house decorated in 
 dark green and brilliant cobalt blue, with deep green 
 tiles and foundation of orange masonry edged with pale 
 blue marble, with a row of purple lotus petals above. 
 A wooden walk, outlined in red-brown, connects the 
 house with a purple and green pavilion, partly seen on 
 the left, in which two men, one in cobalt, the other in 
 sulphur-yellow, are seated looking at one in a rose-col- 
 ored robe who gallops toward them below on a spotted 
 white horse. To the left in the foreground another is 
 seen, in cobalt blue, on a black horse. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 504 to 506. THREE ROSE-BACKED SAUCERS, 
 egg-shell porcelain. In the white central circles are 
 two rose peonies with blue-green leaves, below them a 
 white flower with yellow centre; a yellow, rose-spotted 
 citron is partly visible behind, to the left a part of an- 
 other, and white and blue asters. Encircling this de- 
 sign is a border of black flowered lozenge on pea-green 
 defined inside in gold, outside in black, outside which 
 a border of black Y-pattern on pale greenish-blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 CASE XX 
 
 507, 508. TWO TALL BEAKERS with serrated ver- 
 tical flanges and chimaera handles. Boldly and charac- 
 teristically decorated in the polychrome enamels of the 
 reign of Wan-li, known as Wan-li wu ts'ai. They are 
 productions of the imperial pottery of the time, being 
 decorated with five-clawed dragons and phoenixes for 
 the use of the palace. The five colors (wu ts'ai} of the 
 period are blue, green, red, yellow, and black. The blue 
 is always under the glaze, the other colors are enamels, 
 
 102
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XX 
 
 painted on over the glaze, and fixed by a second firing 
 in the muffle stove. The latter comprise a full, deep 
 green, a brownish red, and a pale yellow, all three 
 roughly put on with the brush, and subsequently de- 
 fined and filled in with pencilled lines of black. The 
 floral background is mainly composed of sprays of 
 peony and chrysanthemum, and the decoration is com- 
 pleted by diverse bands of formal ornaments, foliations 
 and fret peculiar to the age. The piece shows evident 
 signs of having been fashioned in four separate sec- 
 tions, made to adhere by "slip," and covered with a 
 thick, fluescent glaze, which, according to the ceramic 
 records of the time, required at least seven days for its 
 first firing. 
 
 Mark: In oblong panel beneath the lip, Ta Ming W an- 
 il nien cbib (Made in the reign of Wan-li of the great 
 Ming dynasty). 
 
 Wan-li (1573-1619). Height 34>^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxvin) 
 
 509. LARGE OVOID VASE, with tall neck and 
 spreading mouth. The whole invested with a dark 
 opaque-rose ground, closely sprinkled with sprays of 
 leafage and flowers in transparent enamels. At the 
 foot a cartouche border, and under the lip a row of ju-i 
 heads. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 30 inches. 
 
 510. BEAKER VASE, with long neck and spread- 
 ing mouth and base. Decorated with red, yellow, and 
 rose peonies, with deep green leaves, supporting two 
 large quadrilateral white reserves showing lake and 
 mountain scenery, with boats and foreground rocks. 
 In the right-hand upper corners are two red seals. On 
 the sides are two circular reserves enclosing red carp, 
 and below them two, pomegranate-shaped, with dark 
 green shrimps. The neck is decorated, like the body, 
 
 103
 
 CASE XX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 with two upright quadrilateral reserves showing similar 
 seals and landscapes, one with a seven-starred con- 
 stellation in the left upper corner. The square seal 
 which is repeated in several of the reserve panels of the 
 decoration of this vase is Chu Chti (Bamboo Retreat), 
 and represents the studio name of the artist decorator. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19 inches. 
 
 511. LARGE BOWL. In a purple boat under a 
 yellow-topped canopy with green border are travellers; 
 a bearded man, in black hat and rose-edged purple robe, 
 sits at a table drinking with another dressed in green 
 with a pink sash; to the left an attendant in green 
 brings a yellow flask. To the right another man clad 
 in yellow, with a black hat, is talking to one in a rose- 
 colored blouse and green skirt outside the canopy. An- 
 other in a green blouse, purple breeches, and a straw hat 
 sculls with a large yellow oar. Forward, a bare- 
 headed person in purple blouse and white breeches 
 crouches, drawing wine from an urn. To the left are 
 vast purple and green rocks, a shooting cataract, and 
 umbrageous trees. To the right are also rocks and 
 trees in bewildering perspective. Above the boat ap- 
 pears the yellow crescent moon, and two groups of 
 yellow stars. One third of the outer surface of the 
 piece is occupied by twenty-two columns of Chinese 
 characters descriptive of the excursion depicted. 
 Mark: Ta Cb'ing Kang-hsi nien cbih (Made in the 
 reign of K'ang-hsi of the great Ch'ing dynasty). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 15 inches. 
 
 512. BEAKER VASE. Intricate and fantastic 
 decoration in transparent enamels in the southern 
 Mongol style. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 18 inches. 
 
 513. OVOID JAR, with cylindrical cover. Dec- 
 
 104
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XX 
 
 orated with conventional lotus with scroll stalks and 
 leaves in white reserve on a red ground, interrupted by 
 three white upright foliated lozenge reserves, two en- 
 closing birds and flowers, and one with emblems, in 
 enamel colors. Above and below three foliated semi- 
 lozenges intervene, containing red chrysanthemums 
 with scroll leaves in green. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10^ inches. 
 
 514. ROSE-BACKED PLATE, egg-shell porcelain. 
 In the central white circle on a brilliant cobalt-blue 
 rock in the yellow-green earth stands a pheasant of 
 gorgeous plumage. His mate sits to the right partly 
 concealed by the rock, from behind which branch out 
 rose and white peonies with yellow and blue green 
 leaves and brilliant yellow asters below. 
 
 Early Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 515. ROSE-BACKED PLATE, egg-shell porce- 
 lain. In the foreground, preening his breast, stands 
 a chocolate-colored quail mottled with bluish-white, his 
 head and breast a pale rosy-brown; to the right stands 
 his mate looking upward at a butterfly of iridescent 
 green and rose that comes flying to the rose and yellow 
 chrysanthemum which forms a background to the birds; 
 to the left another quail approaches, looking for food 
 in the sand. A border of arabesque scrolls in brilliant 
 cobalt on white, edged with black and gold, separates 
 the white centre from the edge. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 516. ROSE-BACKED PLATE, egg-shell porcelain. 
 In the centre, to the right, on a purple-gray and black 
 rock, stands a quail preening his left shoulder, his head, 
 wings, and back are dark chocolate, the latter streaked 
 with bluish-white; his breast is pale rosy-brown. Be- 
 yond him grow white and rose chrysanthemums, with 
 
 105
 
 CASE XX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 rich green leaves of varying shade. Before him, to the 
 left, another quail, whose breast is of a deeper shade, 
 is pecking at some purple and yellow asters growing 
 beneath the rock. A third bird is partly seen stand- 
 ing beyond him. Encircling this design is a border of 
 black-flowered lozenge on pale greenish-blue. On the 
 edge is a border of large octagon-and-square in black 
 on pale rose, dotted with blue, interrupted by three ob- 
 long white reserves with foliated ends defined in gold 
 and deep blue, enclosing a rose peony and a yellow 
 peach, a white chrysanthemum, and a rose peony with 
 green and yellow citrons. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 517,518. TWO ROSE-BACKED PLATES, egg- 
 shell porcelain. Each with a view of a lake; in the 
 centre is an island with purple, overhanging rocks, deep 
 green trees, and small buildings; beyond are boats and 
 a red and purple rocky shore, with gray precipitous 
 mountains in the distance. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 519. ROSE-BACKED SAUCER, egg-shell porce- 
 lain. In the centre a lady in delicate rose green, and 
 black costume sits on a long green bench, holding a 
 white and gold fan in her left hand, while adjusting her 
 head-dress with the right. In the foreground, to the 
 right, stands a child, in a pale rose jacket and pale blue 
 trousers, a gold chain on his neck, who presents to the 
 lady with his left hand a sparrow on a perch; in his 
 right he holds a small bottle-gourd, and looks back- 
 ward toward another child dressed in pale lilac, and a 
 gold head ornament, who stands behind the seat, hold- 
 ing in his right hand a black sang, or organ. The de- 
 sign is enclosed by a border of black flowered octagon- 
 and-square. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 106
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XX 
 
 520. ROSE-BACKED SAUCER, egg-shell porce- 
 lain. On a ground of flowered octagon, the squares a 
 pale blue-green, a white leaf-shaped reserve outlined 
 in black and gold, with rose peonies, red prunus, and 
 yellow-eyed asters partly seen round the edge, encloses 
 a lady in a costume of delicate rose, pale sea-green, 
 yellow, and black, seated on a dark-brown bench, hold- 
 ing at her right shoulder a baby in brilliant cobalt dress. 
 In the foreground, before her, two children, in blue and 
 pale rose coats and gold necklets, play with a black and 
 white rabbit. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7 finches. 
 
 521. ROSE-BACKED SAUCER, egg-shell porce- 
 lain. In the centre, on a long, low, light-brown bench, 
 sits a gray-bearded personage of cheerful countenance, 
 in pale cobalt blue coat, white trousers, and rose-border- 
 ed slippers, resting his right arm on a light green box 
 of books. Behind stands a young lady, in a pale 
 yellow jacket and rose skirt, her hand resting on his 
 right shoulder. To the right stands a lady in coat of 
 rosy-lilac, white delicately embroidered skirt, and dark 
 wine-colored sash with gold ring, offering a rose cam- 
 ellia; in her left hand she holds a gold-bordered white 
 fan, from behind which a boy, in a light rose coat and 
 white trousers, peeps out and drops a pale yellow fan. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1 795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 522. ROSE-BACKED SAUCER, egg-shell porce- 
 lain. In the centre is a lady, in pale grass-green jacket 
 and rose skirt, reclining on a green lounge, her right arm 
 resting on a jar of deep brilliant blue, with oval ruby- 
 colored medallions; in front, on the floor, lies one of her 
 slippers; to the right a small brown dog holds the other 
 in his mouth. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 107
 
 CASE XXI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 CASE XXI 
 
 525. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. A cyl- 
 indrical vase of the K'ang-hsi period cleverly deco- 
 rated with two shades of vermilion in combination 
 with gold. The motive of its decoration is the legend 
 of the transmigration of fish into dragons, which we 
 have met with before. A carp, repeated on either side, 
 in the act of springing up the celebrated cascades of 
 the Yellow River at the Lung Men, or Dragon Gate, 
 figured here by twin perpendicular rocks. A pair of 
 four-clawed dragons, into which the fishes are pre- 
 sumed to have changed, envelop the rest of the vase 
 in their scaly folds, pursuing two whirling jewels of 
 omnipotence in the midst of flaming clouds. The 
 shoulder of the vase is covered with swastika pattern 
 diaper studded with prunus blossoms, interrupted by 
 panels of emblems of "the four liberal arts." The 
 neck displays shou characters with swastika symbols 
 wanslou (a myriad ages !) together with formal sprays 
 of sacred fungus, and the decoration is completed by 
 formal borders of castellated design, rectangular and 
 sceptre-head fret. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 526, 527. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with 
 spreading lips, on ormolu stands. Covered with floral 
 scrolls in white on a vermilion ground, with arabesque 
 borders on shoulders and bases in brilliant red, blue, 
 and green enamels. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 21 inches. 
 
 528, 529. TWO OVOID JARS, with straight lids. 
 Floral scroll in white on a vermilion ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height g l /4 inches. 
 
 530. OVOID VASE with short neck, spreading lip 
 
 1 08
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXI 
 
 and base. White chrysanthemum scroll on a vermil- 
 ion ground, with reserves of varied form enclosing 
 lions, carp, butterflies and emblems. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 531. OVOID VASE with gold cover. White por- 
 celain, with a four-clawed dragon in red, green, and 
 yellow surrounded by red and green nebulae. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15 inches. 
 
 532, 533. TWO PILLOWS. Two rectangular pil- 
 lows decorated with scrolls of peonies. Each pillow 
 has a handle on one side, modelled in openwork relief, 
 the one 'as a spray of prunus, the other as a branch of 
 peaches. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 534. BEAKER VASE with narrow neck. The 
 ground is frog-spawn with butterflies and ten reserves 
 of varied shape showing fabulous animals and birds, 
 flowers, and emblems, in brilliant enamel colors. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 25 inches. 
 
 535. FLASK-SHAPED BOTTLE. White porce- 
 lain, with two bright red and gold carp in a green 
 foaming sea; from the lip droops a branch with red 
 flowers, which are also scattered on the water. 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height 17 inches. 
 
 536. QUADRILATERAL VASE, tapering, with 
 spreading lip and pyramidal base. Figures of the gods 
 of longevity, rank, etc., attended by boys, are modelled 
 in high relief on the body, and emblems on the neck; on 
 shoulder is scroll peony on frog-spawn, and on base 
 flowers on dark green curl-work. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 537. LARGE FISH-BOWL. Red, blue, green, 
 
 109
 
 CASE XXlJ THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 and gold dragons in contortions, over a foaming green 
 sea, on which red and white plum blossoms are scat- 
 tered. Above are red, black, and green nebulae. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 1 8 inches. Dameter 22 inches. 
 
 538. QUADRILATERAL VASE, with metal rim 
 and pyramidal base. Yellow, blue, and green dragons 
 and knots on a frog-spawn ground cover the shoulder 
 and side, which are bordered by green key-pattern 
 and red ju-i heads in relief; on each side are two re- 
 serves in relief pierced in the form of landscapes with 
 animals, etc. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 14 inches. 
 
 CASE XXII 
 
 541, 542. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with or- 
 molu lips and bases. Green and blue scroll peonies 
 and green water dragons on a vermilion ground sup- 
 port circular reserves enclosing red, white, and blue 
 flowers on green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2oK inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxx) 
 
 543, 544. TWO BEAKERS. White floral scroll on 
 
 vermilion ground on neck and bases; on centres in 
 colors on green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 545. TALL BEAKER VASE. A vase of surprising 
 beauty and interest, which is to be referred, from the 
 form, style and decorative details, in connection with 
 the double ring "mark" under its foot, to the reign of 
 K'ang-hsi. The variously shaped reserves in its deco- 
 ration are filled with artistically executed panels of 
 picturesque scenery composed after the best style of 
 
 no
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXII 
 
 Chinese art to illustrate the quotations from poets 
 which are written out to accompany the pictures. The 
 literary extracts are signed by two seals in varied script, 
 which would be attached by the artist, the first Shih 
 CM being his nom de plume, and the second, Cbu Shib 
 Chii (Red Rock Retreat), the name of his studio or hall- 
 mark. His work has been met with elsewhere, but the 
 present is incomparably the finest example that has yet 
 been noticed in the ceramic field. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28 inches. 
 
 546,547. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES. Covered 
 with scroll peonies in blue-green and white, and water- 
 dragons on a vermilion ground, with circular green me- 
 dallions enclosing red and white conventional peonies. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18% inches. 
 
 548, 549. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with 
 spreading mouths and bases. Conventional scroll lotus 
 on a vermilion ground; on centres broad bands of frog- 
 spawn with red medallions enclosing white water- 
 dragons, and arabesque borders with flowers and ju-i 
 heads in blue, red, and green enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 550. OVIFORM JAR with carved ebony cover. 
 White porcelain, with a bold design of two red and 
 green pheasants with black wings standing on red and 
 green rocks, from which spring red peonies and prunus. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 23^ inches. 
 
 551. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. White 
 porcelain. On body and neck an elaborate design of 
 red and blue chrysanthemums with small, white scroll 
 leaves on a green ground supports two large quadri- 
 lateral reserves showing mounted warriors and land- 
 scapes; on each side two circular medallions with flowers 
 
 in
 
 CASE XXII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 and inscriptions. On the shoulder are emblems and 
 green chrysanthemum flowers, and on the neck, land- 
 scape and blue flowers. By the same artist as in 545, 
 and same seal mark, Chu-Sbih-Chu. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height iy>^ inches. 
 
 552. OVIFORM VASE with silver cover. White 
 porcelain. A ground of yellow and red peonies on 
 black supports two quadrilateral reserves with pictures 
 of historic or legendary incidents; two circular me- 
 dallions on each side show ladies and crickets. The 
 cover has a central Sbou character surrounded by five 
 bats; and Sbou characters and knots alternate round 
 the side. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16^ inches. 
 
 553. OCTAGONAL, CYLINDRICAL VASE, with 
 short neck and spreading lip. White porcelain. Scroll 
 lotus in blue, red, and green on body and neck, and 
 emblems in quadrilateral orange-toned reserves on 
 diaper grounds on the shoulder. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16 inches. 
 
 CASE XXIII 
 
 554, 555. TWO TALL, FLUTED MANDARIN 
 VASES with dragon handles and bases of ormolu. A 
 frog-spawn ground with brilliant butterflies and flowers 
 supports quadrilateral and foliated reserves enclosing 
 landscapes, flowers, and emblems; the whole in bril- 
 liant enamels. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXVII) 
 
 556. OVOID JAR with bell-shaped cover. Covered 
 with wave design in dark purple or aubergine, over 
 
 112
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXIII 
 
 which are scattered isolated blossoms and emblems, 
 pointed rocks appearing at intervals below. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 557. DUCK, standing on lotus leaf, his back pierced 
 in lozenge shape. He is rose colored with a brilliant 
 blue tail; his bill unglazed; the leaf a celadon-green 
 with blue stalks. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 13^ inches. 
 
 558. FIGURE OF KUEI-HSING, the popular god 
 of literature. Invested with vivid enamel colors. 
 K'uei-Hsing is said to have attained the highest grade 
 at official examinations, but was denied office because 
 of his ugliness; whereupon he jumped into the Yellow 
 River and was borne to his present place in the firma- 
 ment of the Dragon. He was canonized in the four- 
 teenth century. He stands poised on the head of a 
 fish-dragon, the emblem of literary perseverance and 
 success. In one hand he holds a pencil-brush, and in 
 the other a cake of ink. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 559. PANEL in carved ebony stand. Showing a 
 landscape in green, rose, and purple-blue, bordered 
 with green diaper with purple flowers in four reserves. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 7^ inches. Width 4^ inches. 
 
 560. LION, seated. Dark green, with collar, and 
 flame motive along his spine. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16 inches. 
 
 561. PILGRIM BOTTLE, quatrefoil-shaped, with 
 bulbous fluted neck. Lake and mountain scenery in 
 bright colors; on the sides and neck sprays of flowers 
 on a pale yellow ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9% inches.
 
 CASE XXIII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 562. A SEATED FIGURE OF KUAN-TI, the offi- 
 cial god of war, decorated with enamels of the san ts'ai, 
 or " three colored," palette, with certain portions left en 
 biscuit, revealing the grayish texture of the parts. The 
 "three colors" are green, yellow and manganese pur- 
 ple of aubergine tint. The divinity is distinguished by 
 his martial attitude, by the shape of the helmet with 
 side pieces, and by the jade-studded girdle round his 
 waist. The tortoise and serpent intertwined at his 
 foot represent the hsuan wu, or "sombre warrow" 
 which is the northern quadrant of the uranoscope and 
 figures moreover as a symbol of military prowess. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10% inches. 
 
 563. CRICKET CELL. This curious rectangular 
 case, with its pierced open-work sides and open front, 
 is probably intended to hold fighting crickets, which 
 would be shut in by bamboo screen wired to the posts 
 through the holes drilled through for the purpose. The 
 crickets would be kept in the lower compartment and 
 when required to fight would be dropped in by pairs 
 through the hole in the roof of the cage and fight out 
 their battle on the horizontal platform below. The side 
 posts are inscribed with a moral couplet reading: 
 
 In the third watch light the fire, the fifth watch is cockcrow, 
 And this in truth is the proper time for a boy to get up. 
 
 The sides of the cage are artistically painted outside 
 with sprays of lotus in bright enamel colors of the 
 K'ang-hsi palette. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 6J4 inches. Width 4 inches. 
 
 | 
 
 564. FIGURE OF CHUNG-LI CH'UAN, one of 
 the eight Immortals, seated. His robe is a patchwork 
 
 114
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXIII 
 
 of brilliant enamel colors, the rest of the piece unglazed, 
 
 but has been gilded. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 565. COCK, seated on a rock. His body is yellow 
 penciled in black, his comb and wattles rose, and wings 
 and tail variegated; the rock is black. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 566. FEMALE FIGURE, holding fan, on pedestal. 
 Her robe is embroidered with floral design and nebulae 
 in subdued yellow, rose, and green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height iif inches. 
 
 567. STATUE OF KWAN-YIN, carrying a child 
 and a basket with a fish and flowers. Her robes elabor- 
 ately decorated with scroll lotus, butterflies, and flowers 
 on a frog-spawn ground. She stands on a blossoming 
 lotus flower, which rests on a table-like pedestal, the 
 lower part having blossoms and emblems arranged on a 
 dark green wave pattern; in front is a triangular panel 
 with a circular Shou character on a ground of green 
 swastika fret. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 29 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxi) 
 
 568. FIGURE OF LI-T'IEH-KUAI (Li with the 
 Iron Crutch) the patron saint of astrologers and 
 magicians. His scanty garments are decorated with 
 butterflies and lotus flowers. In his right hand he 
 holds his crutch, and in his left a gourd bottle. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 12 inches. 
 
 CASE XXIV 
 
 569. LARGE PLATE. With eight reserves radiat- 
 ing from a circular medallion containing decorations 
 of birds, flowers, and emblems in bright enamel colors;
 
 CASE XXIVJ THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 on the back a large arabesque border capped with lotus 
 
 flowers. 
 
 Mark: A seal in two rings. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 23 finches. 
 
 570, 571. TWO LIONS moulded in the usual con- 
 ventional type of large size and decorated with enamel 
 colors of K'ang-hsi date. One has the brocaded ball 
 (bsiu cJj'iu), the other a cub. The red flames on the 
 shoulders and hips, generally taken to be marks of its 
 supernatural character, represent probably the presence 
 of wings in the archaic model, derived doubtless from 
 I ndo- Persian sources. The lions are posed upon four- 
 sided pedestals, decorated in panels with flowers of the 
 four seasons. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18^ inches. 
 
 572, 573. TWO CANDLESTICKS. Traditional ec- 
 clesiastical type of candlestick, two of which are in- 
 tended to stand on the altar, on either side of a lion 
 when the latter figures as an incense-burner. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 12 inches. 
 
 574. LIONESS, seated on a pedestal with cub. 
 From her back springs a hexagonal tube with foliated 
 top, for incense. The pedestal has a pierced foliated 
 medallion at front and back, and is decorated with 
 diapers and flowers. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 14 inches. 
 
 575, 576. TWO LIONS with cubs. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 6^2 inches. Length 5^ inches. 
 
 577. HORSE with saddle and bridle. Splashed 
 with green, red, and yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 7X inches. Length 7^ inches. 
 
 116
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXIV 
 
 578, 579. TWO LIONS playing with balls. Each 
 supports a miniature double-gourd vase on his back. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 5K inches. Length 6 inches. 
 
 580. STATUETTE OF TWO LADIES playing chess. 
 Tinted in aubergine, green, and yellow. A good rep- 
 resentation of the Chinese game of chess (cb'i), the 
 gobang of the Japanese, which is supposed to be useful 
 in military tactics. It is played with black and white 
 men, the player aiming to isolate and surround his ad- 
 versary's men. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7 inches. 
 
 581 to 585. GARNITURE OF FIVE PIECES: 
 three ovoid vases with bell-shaped covers, and two 
 bulbous vases with long necks and handles, all on por- 
 celain stands. Divided vertically in convex sections 
 imitating bamboo and covered with minute floral and 
 geometric decoration in bright enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8y and 10 inches. 
 
 586. MODEL of pagodas with rocky background. 
 Tinted in aubergine, green, and yellow; the base tiger- 
 splashed. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 587. LIBATION-CUP with lizard handles. With 
 floral decoration on a fish-roe ground in brilliant colors. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 4 inches. Diameter 5^ inches. 
 
 588. OCTAGONAL TEA-POT with upright han- 
 dle. White porcelain decorated with flowers, fowl, 
 insects, and diapers in brilliant colors; the handle im- 
 itates wound cane. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7 inches. 
 
 117
 
 CASE XXIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 589, 590. TWO LIONS with riders. Painted in 
 vivid enamel colors. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 6 l /2 inches. Length 4^ inches. 
 
 591. TEA-POT in shape of a peach. Brilliant 
 flowers and insects on a fish-roe ground. From the 
 handle and spout brilliant blue and green leaves in 
 relief spread over the upper body. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 592. TEA-POT in shape of a peach. White floral 
 scroll on a rich green ground supports two white re- 
 serves with birds and flowers in brilliant colors. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 593. FIGURE, seated on a Ch'ilin. In his hand 
 he holds a mouth organ of reeds. His garments have 
 floral decoration in delicate colors; a gold ju-i head 
 hangs from his neck. The lion is pale rose and yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 7 inches. Length 6^ inches. 
 
 594. 595. TWO LOTUS TEA-POTS with lizard 
 handles and spouts. The bodies show the red petals 
 of the flower encircling the green seed-pod which can 
 be seen above; the lids are green lotus leaves; the han- 
 dles are greenish-yellow and the spouts aubergine. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 4 inches. Length 5^ inches. 
 
 596. GLOBULAR TEA-POT. Moulded and out- 
 lined as three tiers of petals enclosing brilliant blue, 
 red, and green flowers; the lid is a green lotus seed-pod; 
 the handles and spout black-speckled green. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height ^Yz inches. Length 6 inches. 
 
 118
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXIV 
 
 597, 598. TWO PEAR-SHAPED WINE-POTS. A 
 green cracked-ice ground with bands of purple and red 
 lotus petals and red prunus blossoms supports two 
 white peach-shaped reserves with flowers in bright 
 colors. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 599, 600. TWO PEAR-SHAPED TEA-POTS. Bril- 
 liant floral decoration partly in relief, on a ground of 
 black curl-pattern. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 5 inches. 
 
 601. DOME-SHAPED TEA-POT with upright 
 handle. Moulded in eight vertical panels enclosing 
 flowers in brilliant colors; the handle imitates wound 
 cane. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6% inches. 
 
 602, 603. TWO LIONS, one bearing a vase and the 
 character Yu, the other a metal receptacle for incense, 
 on the lid of which sits an elephant. Pale green tricked 
 with yellow and rose. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLII) 
 
 604. RECEPTACLE FOR INCENSE on a carved 
 wood stand. Modelled in the shape of two pink gourds 
 springing from pale-green leaves with tendrils; on one 
 leaf a rose-colored butterfly rests. 
 
 Mark: Ch'ien-lung seal, three-eighths inch square, 
 
 in purple blue. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 4^2 inches. 
 
 605. WINE-CUP, quadri-foliate. Floral ornament 
 on frog-spawn. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height i y 2 inches. Diameter 2^ inches. 
 
 119
 
 CASE XXIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 606. SQUARE TRAY. Fishes among aquatic 
 plants in green, aubergine, and yellow. The hall-mark 
 on this tray is unpublished heretofore. It reads: 
 Yii bai tang chih (Made at the Jade Sea Hall). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Width 5*4 inches. 
 
 607. WINE-CUP, leaf-shaped. Red and white 
 chrysanthemums on alternate sections of dull yellow 
 and black. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height i > inches. Diameter 2% inches. 
 
 608. TALL CUP. A garden scene with ladies in 
 green and red at tea. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 4 inches. Diameter 3 inches. 
 
 609. LI BATION-CUP with lizard handle. Covered 
 outside with a delicate brocade of rose lotus. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3 inches. Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 610. BOWL on carved ebony stand. A relic of the 
 Ming reign of Chia-ching (1522-66), rare and interest- 
 ing. It is a little tea-cup (ch'a wan), of bowl shape, 
 painted in the deep full blue of the period, with a me- 
 dallion containing a five-clawed imperial dragon in- 
 side, and the six-character mark Ta Ming Chia-ching 
 nien chih underneath. The outside of the bowl is 
 covered with a deep yellow glaze, with a decoration in 
 brownish red of intensely luminous tone, derived from 
 iron, lightly brushed over the yellow ground. The 
 decoration consists of an outdoor procession of four 
 boys, carrying vases and flowers round the sides of the 
 cup, with the addition of a scroll of foliage encircling 
 the rim. 
 
 Chia-ching (1522-1566). Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 120
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXIV 
 
 6 1 1, 6 1 2. TWO LIONS, with movable eyes and tails, 
 and cbus on rods, crouching on pedestals. Delicate 
 green, rose, and yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7 inches. 
 
 613. LION-LIKE MONSTER with pendant ears 
 and horn, with its cub, on pedestal. Rich green 
 aubergine, and yellow; the cub yellow, tricked with 
 purple-blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6^ inches. 
 
 614,615. TWO HANGING FLOWER-VASES 
 with porcelain chains. Reticulated in the form of 
 tiers of knotted cords; the tops with floral brocades. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 6 1 6. KUAN-TI, the god of war, on horseback. In 
 green and yellow on a rose-colored horse. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 CASE XXV 
 
 617. PLATE. A large, superbly decorated plate 
 painted with an imperial court scene in brilliant en- 
 amel colors and gilding of the K'ang-hsi period. The 
 rich floral border is composed mainly of the chrysan- 
 themum and Nelumbian lotus and there are three 
 separate sprays of peony on the back of the plate. The 
 main decoration is an animated picture of the evo- 
 lutions of a band of gayly dressed Amazon horsewomen 
 in a palace courtyard in the presence of an empress, 
 who is attended by two court damsels holding feather 
 fans, and by a eunuch with a dish of fruit or cakes. A 
 curious point in the color scheme is that the cobalt 
 blue is in the usual overglaze relief, in the main picture, 
 whereas on the border it is underglaze applied sur bis- 
 
 121
 
 CASE XXV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 cuit before the first firing after the older style of the 
 polychrome arrangement of the Ming dynasty. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 19^ inches. 
 
 618,619. TWO QUADRILATERAL VASES with 
 pyramidal bases. The main decoration of the first 
 consists of landscape pictures and po ku emblems in 
 leaf-shaped panels. That of the companion vase is 
 composed of flowers of the four seasons associated 
 with birds. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 21 inches. 
 
 620, 621. TWO HEXAGONAL FLOWER-RE- 
 CEPTACLES. Pierced on top and sides to show in- 
 terlaced rings and the sacred swastika, and painted 
 with rich floral brocade and lizard dragons. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 7 inches. Width 7^ inches. 
 
 622. OCTAGONAL FLOWER-RECEPTACLE. 
 Four sides have panels with pierced swastika inter- 
 rupted above by a triangular panel, the whole painted 
 in rich enamels with floral and geometric brocades. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 10 inches. Width 8^2 inches. 
 
 623, 624. TWO LIONS, seated on rounded pedes- 
 tals. Deep green, aubergine, and yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 625, 626. TWO LION INCENSE-HOLDERS, one 
 with a cub, the other a movable chu on a rod, on 
 pierced quadrilateral pedestals. Painted in deep green 
 orange-yellow, and aubergine. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 627. HEXAGONAL TEA-POT with fish handle. 
 
 122
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXV 
 
 Bright cobalt-blue, with panels pierced as flowering 
 
 shrubs. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 628. DOME-SHAPED TEA-POT with upright han- 
 dle. Geometric and floral decoration in rich colors. 
 Mark: Yung-cbeng nien chib (Made in the reign of 
 Yung-cheng 1723-1735). Height 6% inches. 
 
 629. LION WINE-POT. Floral decoration in light 
 green, rose, yellow, and black. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 630. FISH-SHAPED TEA-POT with upright han- 
 dle. Orange body with unglazed dorsal fin and tail, 
 floating in green waves; the handle is aubergine. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6 inches. 
 
 631,632. TWO HEXAGONAL TEA-POTS with 
 fish handles. Six pierced panels on a black ground 
 show prunus, bamboo, and pine "the three friends"; 
 on the necks are ju-i heads, and lotus petals encircle 
 the bases. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6^ inches. 
 
 633. FLAT TEA-POT with upright handle. On the 
 sides yellow water-dragons, and a vase with a phoenix 
 on a frog-spawn ground with black flowers; on front 
 and back bamboo; the handle wound cane-work. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6>^ inches. 
 
 634. FISH-SHAPED WINE-POT with metal top. 
 The body is white, with aubergine tail, back, and gills, 
 and yellow eye; the handle, spout, and waves below are 
 green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLI) 
 
 123
 
 CASE XXV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 635. TEA-POT with rustic spout and handle and 
 metal chain. Roughly modelled in the form of some 
 fruit, an orange or pumelo, for example, although the 
 accompanying leafage, which is adapted to form the 
 spout and handle, suggests more strongly the peach, a 
 more common motive of form. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height $y& inches. 
 
 636 to 639. FOUR BAMBOO TEA-POTS. Model- 
 led in the form of sections of bamboo, each section 
 colored either rose, yellow, or green with floral deco- 
 ration; the handles and spouts black. The three star 
 gods of happiness, rank and longevity, worked in re- 
 lief on three of the sides of No. 636 are associated with 
 a fourth figure of a mandarin standing out in the same 
 prominent relief under a dryandra tree holding a bow 
 from which an arrow has just been shot upward. The 
 quarry is a dog, seen in the clouds above, doubtless 
 the celestial dog which devours the sun during an 
 eclipse, and which the civil mandarin in charge at the 
 time always has to demonstrate against to rescue the 
 sun from its attack. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE, XLI) 
 
 640, 641. TWO PEACH-SHAPED TEA-POTS with 
 metal lids. Tinted in dark aubergine, rich green, and 
 pale yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4 inches. 
 
 642. HANGING BASKET with lid and upright 
 handle, for sweet-scented flowers. Honeycomb re- 
 ticulation interrupted by fruit and flowers in rich en- 
 amel colors. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 643. LOTUS TEA-POT. Shaped as the seed-re- 
 
 124
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXV 
 
 ceptacle of the lotus; the spout and handle being grace- 
 fully curved stalks with leaves; green and orange- 
 yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2^ inches. Length 5 inches. 
 
 644,645. TWO HEXAGONAL TEA-POTS with 
 fish handles. With panels on the sides pierced as pru- 
 nus, bamboo, and pine on green or yellow ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 646, 647. TWO HANGING BASKETS with lion- 
 top covers, for fragrant flowers. Painted green, red, 
 and yellow, with honeycomb reticulation on sides 
 supporting red and green chrysanthemums: the han- 
 dles simulate wound cane. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 648. GLOBULAR TEA-POT. Modelled as sec- 
 tions of bamboo in red, yellow, and green, and deco- 
 rated with prunus, bamboo, and pine. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 649. LOTUS TEA-POT. Similar to No. 643. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3 inches. Length 6 inches. 
 
 650 to 652. THREE WRITER'S WATER-CUPS. 
 Shaped as lotus seed-vessels and leaves, and painted 
 in green, red, and orange-yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 4^ inches. 
 
 653. WINE-CUP, oval quatrefoil. Fish in dark- 
 green waves with rose-colored sky; interior ochre- 
 yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 125
 
 CASE XXV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 654,655. TWO BRUSH-WASHERS. Shaped as 
 lotus leaves, with frogs and crabs, and lotus seed-ves- 
 sel with two petals attached; green, orange, and au- 
 bergine glazes. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 656. WINE-CUP, foliated. Archaic Sbou char- 
 acters and flowers on a frog-spawn ground; ochre- 
 yellow interior. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 657, 658. TWO HEXAGONAL WINE-CUPS. 
 Floral ornament in black, yellow, and rose; ochre-yel- 
 low interior. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 659. FLOWER-SHAPED BRUSH-WASHER, with 
 duck inside. Orange, with green calyx below. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3 inches. 
 
 660. WRITER'S WATER-CUP. Green, with two 
 orange-yellow monkeys posed on the edge. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 66110674. FOURTEEN LIBATION CUPS with 
 grotesque animals on the handles and bodies. Deco- 
 rated with floral and geometric ornament, dragons, 
 and Shou characters in brilliant enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2 inches. Length 4 inches. 
 
 CASE XXVI 
 
 675. LARGE SAUCER. Elaborate floral scroll- 
 work on centre and rim, with white interval between. 
 Mark: Artemisia leaf with fillets. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter i8> inches. 
 
 126
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXVI 
 
 676, 677. TWO LIONS, seated on quadrilateral 
 pedestals; one with cbu, the other with a cub. The 
 bodies dull green tricked with rose and red; the cub is 
 yellow. The pedestals have butterflies and flowers, 
 interrupted by the overhanging mat, the corners of 
 which are modelled as ling-chih sacred fungus. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 20 inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxvi) 
 
 678. PHCENIX WINE-POT. The sacred fungus 
 ling-chih modelled below the breast and on the neck 
 of the pot; the whole in rich green, red, yellow, and gold. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height n inches. 
 
 679. COCK. Painted in brilliant enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10^2 inches. 
 
 680 to 685. SIX STATUETTES of Chinese seated 
 on pedestals. Clad in robes embroidered with varied 
 designs; geometric and floral decoration on the pedes- 
 tals; the whole in bright enamels. These six little 
 statuettes are all figures of Taoist character, but most of 
 them have lost their specific attributes, so that they are 
 difficult of identification. No. 68 1, however, is an 
 exception, as he still holds in his hand a flute, the dis- 
 tinctive attribute of Han Hsiang Tzu, one of the group 
 of Pa Hsien, the well-known "eight Immortals." 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6 inches. 
 
 686. WINE-POT, shaped as a monkey, seated, 
 eating a peach. Deep aubergine. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 687 to 691. GARNITURE OF FIVE OCTAGONAL 
 PIECES: three ovoid jars with bell lids, and two bul- 
 bous vases with handles; on four-footed stands. Floral 
 and geometric ornament in deep green, rose, and yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 10% and 8^ inches. 
 
 127
 
 CASE XXVI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 692. WINE-POT, shaped as a hen with chickens. 
 The body yellow; the head red, blending into the green 
 of the neck, wings, and tail. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 693. HEXAGONAL TEA-POT with fish handle. 
 The body black with buff-edged panels pierced in floral 
 design; handle and spout buff and green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6K inches. 
 
 694,695. TWO HEXAGONAL TEA-POTS. On 
 sides pierced honeycomb panels supporting red flower- 
 ing plum-trees; the lids pierced in floral design, painted 
 in delicate rose, yellow, and green. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 696, 697. TWO GLOBULAR TEA-POTS with 
 fluted saucers. Chrysanthemum and peony scroll de- 
 sign in brilliant enamels on black. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Tea-pots: Height 4X inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 5^ inches. 
 
 698, 699. TWO GLOBULAR TEA-POTS with sau- 
 cers. With pentafoliate design in black and rose ela- 
 borated with floral ornament in brilliant colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Tea-pots: Height 4^ inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 6 inches. 
 
 700. TEA-POT. An exquisitely painted tea-pot 
 decorated in fine enamel of thefamille rose with gold. 
 The rich floral and diapered grounds and the reserved 
 panels of foliated outline filled with characteristic 
 pictures of fighting cocks and peonies suggest that it 
 must once have belonged to an eggshell tea service 
 made for Europe. 1 1 is really an early Ch'ien-lung piece. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 4% inches. 
 
 128
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXVI 
 
 701, 702. TWO GLOBULAR TEA-POTS with lion 
 handles and spouts. Borders and ground of floral and 
 geometrical design, with four circular floral medallions 
 with pierced centres; the handles and spouts modelled 
 as lions; on the lids a bird; the whole in vivid rose, yel- 
 low, blue, and green. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 5 inches. 
 
 703. GLOBULAR BOWL with lion handles and 
 cover. Decoration similar to No. 700. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 704 to 707. TEA-SET: tea-pot, ewer, plate, cup 
 and saucer. Each piece shows a trumpeter and a horn 
 blower in green and yellow on a ground of black en- 
 amel decorated in gold. Indo-Persian subjects from 
 European model. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height of tea-pot 4^ inches. 
 
 708, 709. TWO PEAR-SHAPED TEA-POTS. The 
 female divinity who forms the chief decoration of this 
 little pair of wine ewers and carries on her shoulder a 
 basket of flowers suspended in the handle of a hoe, 
 is Hua-hsien, the so-called Taoist goddess of flowers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 6% inches. 
 
 71010713. FOUR FLUTED WINE-CUPS. Mi- 
 nute floral decoration on yellow and frog-spawn ground ; 
 ochre-yellow interiors. 
 K'ang-hsi' (1662-1 722). Height i% inches. 
 
 714,715. TWO MINIATURE CUPS and saucers. 
 Red and green lotus and foliated borders enclosing 
 sprays of flowers in delicate enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Cups: Height \% inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 3 y^ inches. 
 
 129
 
 CASE XXVI] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 716. DOUBLE-HANDLED CUP AND SAUCER 
 with foliated edge. Floral and geometric decoration 
 in rose and green on yellow. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Cup: Height \]/^ inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 717. OVAL WINE-CUP. Green and rose-tinted 
 horses on a yellow ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 718. QUADRILATERAL FLUTED WINE-CUP. 
 Landscape and flowers in green and rose on yellow; 
 ochre-yellow interior. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 719. 720. TWO WINE-CUPS formed as shoes. 
 White and yellow lotus with black leaves on a rose 
 ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 3^ inches. 
 
 721. OVAL WINE-CUP. Emblems on a yellow 
 ground; ochre-yellow interior. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 722. LOTUS-LEAF BRUSH-WASHER. Dark- 
 green glaze; inside stands a bearded figure in yellow 
 robe. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2% inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxn) 
 
 723. BRUSH-WASHER in the shape of half a 
 peach. On the outside a dove and leaves in relief; in- 
 side stands a duck. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2% inches. 
 
 130
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXVI 
 
 724. LOTUS-LEAF WATER-DROPPER. Deep- 
 green glaze, with two yellow fish inside in relief. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 2>^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE xxxn) 
 
 725,726. TOOTHPICK HOLDERS, modelled as 
 squirrels. Invested with a rose glaze, with grapes and 
 green leaves on the side. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 3^ inches. 
 
 727. PENTAGONAL WINE-CUP with fluted cor- 
 ners. Flying cranes on a yellow ground; ochre-yellow 
 interior. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 728. FLOWER-SHAPED WINE-CUP. White and 
 yellow fish and green waves on a rose ground; interior 
 ochre-yellow. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i>^ inches. 
 
 729. OVAL FOLIATED WINE-CUP. The eight 
 mystical trigrams in yellow on a speckled ground; ochre- 
 yellow interior. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \ l / inches. 
 
 730. FLUTED WINE-CUP. Floral decoration on 
 pale rose and yellow; ochre-yellow interior. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height \% inches. 
 
 CASE XXVII 
 
 731. QUADRILATERAL BLACK HAWTHORN 
 
 VASE. White prunus and leafless bamboo growing 
 from green and rose-colored rocks; in the branches and 
 flying above are yellow finches. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 22 inches. 
 
 131
 
 CASE XXVII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 732. CYLINDRICAL VASE with metallic lip. With 
 a bold design of yellow and rose lotus, with deep-green 
 scroll leaves reserved in the black enamel ground; at 
 base a border of rose and yellow petals, and dark-green 
 sweet-flag leaves with rose stems on the neck. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 22 inches. 
 
 733. QUADRILATERAL BLACK HAWTHORN 
 VASE. Decorated with the flowers of the four seasons 
 in reserve on black enamel. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 20^ inches. 
 
 734. OVOID VASE on ebony stand. Sang-de-bceuf. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15 inches. 
 
 735. OVOID VASE with wide neck. Sang-de-boeuf. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 736. GLOBULAR BOTTLE with long, straight 
 neck. Sang-de-boeuf. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 737. INVERTED PEAR-SHAPED VASE with 
 short neck, spreading lip and base. Sang-de-boeuf. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 16^ inches. 
 
 738. PORCELAIN PIPE. Reticulated and floral 
 ornament and golden rim. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 8 inches. 
 
 739. STAND, for scrolls or brushes. The top shows 
 a group of precious emblems in red and green on an 
 ochre-yellow ground, with a yellow and green trellis 
 border interrupted by white panels with floral scrolls. 
 Below is green scroll lotus with white rose flowers on a 
 yellow ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2^ inches. Length 13^ inches. 
 (PLATE XLI) 
 
 132
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXVII 
 
 740. QUADRUPLE CIRCULAR LUNCH RECEP- 
 TACLE. Covered with green trellis-work on a yellow 
 ground, interrupted by circular medallions with green 
 and rose phoenixes alternating with ju-i heads on the 
 top section, and with nebulae on the others. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Ch'eng-bua-nien cbib (Made in the 
 reign of Cheng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). [1465- 
 1487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 741. COVERED POT with lion top and handles. 
 The eight Immortals, modelled in high relief, surround 
 the body, tinted with rose, green, and yellow on a 
 streaked ground of the same colors. The rims of the 
 cover and bowl and the base are green with incised 
 scroll-work. On top is a lion with his cbu seated in a 
 tiger-blotched circle. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4 inches. 
 
 (PLATE XL) 
 
 742. PI-T'UNG, brush receptacle. Finely modelled 
 as the "three friends," bamboo, prunus, and pine, 
 the deep green bamboo supporting the aubergine stems 
 of pine and prunus, and the white blossoms of the latter. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 743. CIRCULAR TRIPOD STAND. On top are 
 red, yellow, and blue chrysanthemums, and pine, spring- 
 ing from a blue-green rock on a deep-green ground, with 
 insects hovering above. The feet are capped by tiger- 
 heads. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2^2 inches. Diameter 6y inches. 
 
 744. GLOBE, for fragrant flowers, on stand with 
 truncated legs. Yellow pierced hexagon-work inter- 
 rupted by four circular medallions enclosing the flowers 
 
 '33
 
 CASE XXVII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 of the four seasons in green and rose on pierced yellow 
 wave-pattern. The hole at top centres in a rose chry- 
 santhemum flower on green. The stand is covered with 
 fine diaper in green and rose. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 6y inches. Diameter 4 inches. 
 (PLATE XL) 
 
 745. SQUARE STAND with truncated legs. The 
 top has green and yellow trellis-work round a circular 
 medallion enclosing a rose-colored four-clawed dragon 
 contending with another of dark green for a rose-col- 
 ored ball of fire amid green nebulae over rocks and the 
 sea, on a dull-yellow ground. The legs are rose with 
 black undulous pattern. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3> inches. Width 6> inches. 
 
 CASE XXVIII 
 
 749. QUADRILATERAL BLACK HAWTHORN 
 VASE with short neck and spreading lip of metal. 
 Each side showing one of the flowers of the four seasons, 
 with rocks, birds, and insects on black enamel. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19 inches. 
 
 750. BLACK HAWTHORN BEAKER VASE. 
 Showing orange yellow and white prunus, and white 
 magnolia, with pale and deep green leaves springing 
 from red and green rocks in reserve on a ground of 
 black enamel. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 27^ inches. 
 
 751. QUADRILATERAL BLACK HAWTHORN 
 VASE. Showing the flowers of the four seasons in low- 
 
 '34
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXVIII 
 
 toned colors on black enamel, enclosed in white-bordered 
 panels. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Cheng-hua nien cbib (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). [1465- 
 1487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19^6 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LVII) 
 
 752. BOTTLE-SHAPED VASE, with a wide, cylin- 
 drical heck. Sang-de-boeuf glaze. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 753. OVOID VASE. Sang-de-boeuf glaze. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 754. 755. TWO BOWLS. White porcelain, com- 
 pletely covered outside with decoration of conventional 
 flowers with scroll stalks and leaves in deep green under 
 black. 
 
 Mark: Seal of Ch'ien-lung in blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 3X inches. Diameter 6^ inches. 
 
 756. BLACK HAWTHORN BEAKER VASE with 
 trumpet mouth. Showing a pheasant in plumage of 
 green, red, and yellow, questing on top of an arch of 
 green, red, and purple rocks, from which spring yellow, 
 red, white, and purple peonies with variegated green 
 leaves, and white magnolia with purple buds, branching 
 upward over the neck, where red, white, yellow, and 
 purple prunus flowers and yellow and green finches are 
 also seen. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 27^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLVII) 
 
 757. HEXAGONAL DISH, one of a drageoir. A 
 yellow four-clawed dragon reaching for a pearl among 
 
 135
 
 CASE XXVIIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 red and yellow fire-emblems; on sides red, yellow, and 
 
 green nebulae. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 758. SQUARE BOX. On the top is a green, red, 
 and yellow pheasant on a green and red rock, with red 
 and yellow peonies behind it, enclosed in a border of 
 black rice-pattern on yellow; the edge of lid has a black 
 scroll border on rose; the sides are covered with black 
 star-work and flowered hexagon on yellow, with foliated 
 reserves showing the flowers of the four seasons. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2 inches. Width 4 inches. 
 
 759. TRIPOD STAND with trefoil-shaped top. 
 The top is covered with black star-pattern on green, on 
 which a vase containing three peacock feathers and a 
 branch of aubergine coral, another with aubergine lotus, 
 and a third with a branch of yellow and aubergine 
 peaches, together with other precious objects are ar- 
 ranged. The legs show green and yellow-flowered 
 lozenge-work with three inverted green ju-i heads. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 4^ inches. Length 8> inches. 
 (PLATE XLI) 
 
 760. STAND, for scrolls or brushes. The top is 
 grounded with green cracked-ice, with a central foliated 
 reserve showing a landscape in rose and varying shades 
 of green, flanked by two reserves with rose-colored 
 water dragons and ling-cbib on a yellow ground. The 
 ebony stand is finely carved as bamboo, prunus, and 
 pine, "the three friends," with key-pattern borders. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 6% inches. Length 14 inches. 
 (PLATE XLI) 
 
 136
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXVIII 
 
 761. TOOTHPICK HOLDER, shaped as a squirrel. 
 Invested with black enamel, with yellow and rose 
 grapes and a green leaf at side. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 3 inches. 
 
 762. TRIPOD STAND with trefoil-shaped top. 
 The top covered with a flowered lozenge-pattern in 
 black and green on yellow, on which precious emblems 
 are arranged enclosed by a border of starred hexagon in 
 green on yellow. Round the lower edge a wavy pattern 
 on red interrupted by a green ju-i head and nine yellow 
 medallions with archaic forms of the character Shou. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 434 inches. Length 8y inches. 
 (PLATE XLI) 
 
 763. WATER-BOTTLE. Decorated with two phoe- 
 nixes and peonies in deep, dull green under a black 
 ground. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 12 inches. 
 
 CASE XXIX 
 
 764, 765. TWO BLACK HAWTHORN BEAKER 
 VASES. Decorated with red, white, and yellow 
 peonies, magnolias, and hydrangeas, with leaves of 
 varying green on a ground of black enamel. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26^ inches. 
 
 766. BLACK HAWTHORN OVOID JAR with 
 bell-shaped cover. With elaborate decoration of white 
 magnolia, hydrangea, and yellow peony with bright 
 green leaves on a black enamel ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26 inches. 
 
 767. HEXAGONAL BLACK HAWTHORN BOWL 
 
 137
 
 CASE XXVIIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 with waved edge, on carved ebony stand. Each panel 
 showing flowers of the four seasons springing from 
 rocks in low-toned colors on a black ground. Inside 
 the rim is a trellis border in green and red, with six 
 black reserves enclosing flowers. 
 Mark: A seal in double ring. 
 
 Height 3^ inches. Diameter 7^ inches. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 768, 769. TWO CUPS. Four panels, with foliated 
 tops, enclose white chrysanthemum, hydrangea, and 
 other flowers, with deep green leaves, in reserve on 
 black; a red curl-border inside rim. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 770. BLACK HAWTHORN BEAKER VASE on 
 carved ebony stand. Decorated with a white prunus- 
 tree springing from light green and rose-colored rocks, 
 near which finches and deep green bamboo leaves are 
 seen; a collar of black scroll design on pale green en- 
 circles the base of the neck, which is decorated like the 
 body. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 22^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLIX) 
 
 771. QUADRILATERAL VASE with pyramidal 
 base. On the sides are hydrangeas, peonies, and lotus 
 with birds flying above, in rose and green on an imperial 
 yellow ground; on the base are foliated medallions on a 
 rose-trellis ground, enclosing sprays of flowers. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 21 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LVIII) 
 
 772. LEAF-SHAPED PLAQUE. Showing a yel- 
 low four-clawed dragon contending for a green ball 
 with a rose-colored one, whose tail twines round the 
 black centre of the leaf. Around them swim three
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXIX 
 
 carp, one red, one bright green, and one rose-colored, 
 on a deep green sea, which is sprinkled with yellow- 
 centred white plum flowers, and partly fringed with 
 foam. The piece is bordered with semi-blossoms of 
 white prunus on black. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length ioX inches. 
 
 773. FOLIATED PLAQUE. White porcelain, 
 showing a phoenix standing on rocks surrounded by 
 peonies and magnolias, above which insects hover, the 
 whole in low-toned shades of green and red. A border 
 of yellow frog-spawn, with green flowers, surrounds the 
 piece. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 10^2 inches. 
 
 774. A BLACK HORSE. With green and yellow 
 saddle and white harness. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 4X inches. Length 6 inches. 
 
 775. OCTAGONAL CUP. White porcelain; the 
 outside has four panels showing flowers and shrubs in 
 blue, green, and white on a black ground; inside the rim 
 a red lozenge border with sprays of red and green 
 flowers below. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2^ inches. Diameter 3 inches. 
 
 776. BOTTLE with long, straight neck. The body 
 decorated with sprays of flowers and large butterflies in 
 bright enamel colors on black; on shoulder a band of 
 black star-work on green with four ornamental reserves 
 in blue, yellow, and green; the neck is black with a 
 purple-blue water dragon and scrolls. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 777. WRITER'S WATER-WELL. In the form of 
 
 139
 
 CASE XXIX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 Li T'ai-po, the most famous Chinese poet for erratic 
 genius, romantic career, power of verse, and bibulosity, 
 says Dr. Bushell. He is here seen clinging to his empty 
 wine-jar. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 6% inches. 
 
 (PLATE XLII, CENTRE) 
 
 778. OVIFORM BOTTLE with short neck and 
 spreading lip. Decorated with leafless white prunus, 
 with aubergine branches drooping downward from the 
 neck on a ground of black enamel. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 779. CUP on carved ebony stand. White porcelain, 
 decorated outside with sprays of flowers in low-toned 
 colors on black enamel. Inside are yellow flowers with 
 green leaves. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2% inches. Diameter 3^ inches. 
 
 780. CYLINDRICAL BOTTLE with short neck and 
 spreading lip. Decorated with two five-clawed dragons 
 contending for a ball among nebulae, the whole in 
 sea-green on black enamel. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 5^ inches. 
 
 CASE XXX 
 
 781. 782. TWO QUADRILATERAL BLACK HAW- 
 THORN VASES. Decorated with flowering shrubs, 
 plants, and yellow finches in enamel colors on a black 
 ground. 
 
 Mark: A blue leaf. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 783. BLACK HAWTHORN BEAK.ER VASE. 
 Showing two phoenixes with plumage of yellow, pur- 
 
 140
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXX 
 
 pie, and green, on green rocks from which spring yellow, 
 white, and rose peonies and white magnolias with deep 
 green leaves; flying above are yellow finches with green 
 wings. A collar of white plum flowers on a ground of 
 green-flowered lozenge encircles the base of the neck, 
 which shows yellow and rose-colored chrysanthemums 
 and asters, growing by a pale sea-green rock of fan- 
 tastic shape. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming Ch'eng-hua nien chih (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). [1465- 
 1487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LI) 
 
 784, 785. TWO BLACK HAWTHORN BEAKER 
 VASES. With leafless, rosy-limbed, white prunus- 
 trees spreading upward to the mouth; below are red 
 and green rocks. On No. 784, a flock of yellow finches 
 is seen among the branches; the whole in reserve on a 
 lustrous black ground. 
 
 Mark on No. 785: Ta Ming Ch'eng-bua nien cbib 
 (Made in the reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming 
 dynasty) . [ 1 465- 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE L. NO. 784.) (PLATE LII. NO. 785.) 
 
 786. QUADRILATERAL BLACK HAWTHORN 
 VASE, tapering on ebony stand. Decorated with 
 white-blossomed hydrangea, magnolia, and plum, with 
 aubergine limbs, springing from red and green rocks; 
 above are small red and green birds and insects, in 
 reserve on black. On the neck are four upright foliated 
 red-bordered ovals, with sprays of flowers on black. 
 Mark: Ta Ming Ch'eng-hua nien chih (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). 
 [ 1 465-1 487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18^4 inches. 
 
 141
 
 CASE XXX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 787. OVOID VASE on ebony stand. White por- 
 celain, entirely covered by a design of floral scroll- 
 work in green on black. 
 Mark: Seal of Ch'ien-lung in vermilion. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 6> inches. 
 
 788. WRITER'S SCREEN in elaborately carved 
 ebony stand. White porcelain, decorated with white 
 primus growing by a green rock, in reserve on a black 
 ground, enclosed by a green and yellow trellis border 
 with black corners, interrupted by four black reserves 
 enclosing flowers and fruit. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Length 8^ inches. Width 5 inches. 
 (PLATE xxxin) 
 
 789. INVERTED PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE on 
 ebony stand. Entirely covered with a scroll decora- 
 tion of conventional flowers and leaves surmounting a 
 cartouche border at the base, in green on a black 
 ground. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 6% inches. 
 
 790. CUP. With four panels enclosing flowers and 
 shrubs in red, green, yellow, and white on a black 
 ground; the lip has an inner border of red scroll-work. 
 Mark: A lozenge with ribbon. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3 inches. Diameter 2% inches. 
 (PLATE XL, CENTRE) 
 
 790 A. QUADRILATERAL BLACK HAWTHORN 
 VASE, with short neck and spreading lip, on a carved 
 ebony stand. Showing yellow and rose chrysanthe- 
 mums and peonies, and white prunus and lotus, with 
 clear green leaves, growing from green and rosy rocks, 
 
 142
 
 'OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXX 
 
 with yellow birds and insects above. On the neck are 
 rose and yellow lotus, and a white flying crane. 
 Mark: Ta Ming CVeng-hua nien cbib (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). [1465- 
 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 CASE XXXI 
 
 791,792. TWO BLACK HAWTHORN BALUS- 
 TER VASES. Each decorated with purple, yellow, 
 red and green rocks, from which grow white and yellow 
 prunus-trees, among whose branches are yellow- 
 breasted, blue-winged finches; all in reserve on black 
 enamel; inside the lip is a black key-pattern border 
 on dull green. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 793. BLACK HAWTHORN CYLINDRICAL VASE. 
 Decorated with white peony, magnolia, hydrangea, 
 and red and yellow chrysanthemums springing from 
 behind green and rose-colored rocks; all in reserve on 
 black. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 24 inches. 
 
 794. LARGE PILGRIM BOTTLE. Decorated with 
 a deep green, five-clawed dragon on an orange-yellow 
 ground, among nebulae above the sea. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 18 inches. 
 
 795. BLACK HAWTHORN BEAKER. White 
 yellow-eyed prunus, red peach in flower and fruit, and 
 red peony growing from rocks. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 796,797. TWO QUADRILATERAL VASES with 
 
 '43
 
 CASE XXXl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 pyramidal bases and dragon handles. Showing the 
 flowers of the four seasons in subdued colors on a pale 
 yellow ground; on the bases foliated lozenge reserves 
 on black diaper enclosing flowers and insects on one 
 and water dragons on the other. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 21-^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXV) 
 
 798. QUADRILATERAL VASE with convex shoul- 
 ders and short neck, with gold rim and base. The 
 body of the vase is covered with black speckle-work on 
 a green enamel ground sprinkled with bright red 
 prunus blossoms, and edged with a rose-colored line. 
 On two sides, at the base, are upright quadrilateral 
 panels in white reserve, with double-line borders of pink 
 and orange red, showing, in bright colors, a man in a 
 boat, near a rocky shore with a house and trees. Above 
 this, surrounded by a line border of pale orange-yellow 
 interrupted by four blue ju-i heads, is a circular panel 
 of mirror-black with figure in gold of Chung-Li-Ch'uan, 
 one of the eight Immortals. Above all, two pale 
 orange three-clawed dragons, their blue heads down- 
 ward, their branching scroll-work tails above arranged 
 to form a pattern, are contending for a red ball; on the 
 other two sides the central panels are rectangular, with 
 pictures of mythical worthies in gold on black. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i8X inches. 
 
 799. SAUCER. White porcelain, the rim pierced 
 in the form of interlaced rings of various colors; in the 
 centre are two ladies in a garden. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter Scinches. 
 
 800. PLATE. White porcelain; in the centre a 
 four-clawed yellow dragon on a light sea-green ground 
 surrounded by red and rose-colored nebulae; the rim 
 
 144
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXI 
 
 shows a dark green sea, with six white foam-crests al- 
 ternating with red prunus flowers. 
 Mark: Ta Ming CVeng-bua nien chib (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). 
 [ 1 465- 1 487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter & l /i inches. 
 
 80 1. BOWL on five-footed ebony stand. Dark 
 green, with flowers in white reserve on the outside; in 
 the bottom a rose-tinted ling-cbib. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 802. STANDING FIGURE. In occidental black 
 jacket, yellow breeches, and black riding boots. (Dutch 
 admiral.) 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i iX inches. 
 
 803. JAR with ebony cover and stand. Decorated 
 with conventional flowers with scroll stems and leaves 
 in light, dull green on a pale yellow ground; above is a 
 red border with white flowers. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 CASE XXXII 
 
 804. GREEN HAWTHORN BEAKER. Decorated 
 on a brilliant green ground with profuse and bold 
 drawing of white magnolia and red and yellow peonies 
 springing from behind purple rocks whereon stands a 
 pheasant in red, green, and yellow plumage. 
 
 Mark: Ta Ming CVeng-bua nien chib (Made in the 
 reign of Ch'eng-hua of the great Ming dynasty). [1465- 
 1487 apocryphal.] 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXVI) 
 
 805. CYLINDRICAL 'VASE, club-shaped, with
 
 CASE XXXIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 short neck. Round the base and lip are triangle bor- 
 ders in black on rich green. On the shoulder is a border 
 in pink, green, and yellow. Decorated with pictur- 
 esque rocky scenery in accordance with the canons of 
 Chinese landscape art. Two couples of the usual aged 
 pilgrims are climbing the hills, admiring the prospect, 
 and the boats are seen in the foreground by which they 
 have been brought to the foot of the mountains. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 1 6^ inches. 
 
 806. CLUB-SHAPED VASE. Intricate floral and 
 other decorations with white res*erves, containing 
 pastoral scenes a man sowing and a man and ox 
 harrowing. Inscription of verses in each reserve. 
 Mark: A double ring. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18^ inches. 
 
 807. INVERTED PEAR-SHAPED VASE with 
 short neck, spreading lip and base. Aubergine peony 
 and white hydrangea with birds on a dull green ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i6> inches. 
 
 808. QUADRILATERAL TAPERING VASE with 
 rounded shoulders and short beaker neck. White por- 
 celain, covered with a ground of irregular crackle 
 sprinkled throughout with butterflies, sprays of red 
 prunus and leaves. On each side are two intaglio me- 
 dallions the upper fan-shaped with landscapes on a 
 yellow ground, the lower square with indented corners, 
 two showing rocks and flowers on a yellow ground, and 
 two each with four-line inscriptions in black on green. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18^2 inches. 
 
 809. GREEN CLUB-SHAPED VASE on a carved 
 ebony stand. An effective study of birds and flowers, 
 filled in with brilliant enamel colors and heightened by 
 a soft background of apple green tint. The six charac- 
 
 146
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXII 
 
 ter mark, Ta Cb'ing Kang-hsi nien chih, is penciled 
 underneath in underglaze blue, arranged in three col- 
 umns, two characters in each. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 810. BEAKER with wide-spreading mouth and 
 slightly spreading base. A noteworthy example of 
 early famille verte style, effectively decorated in three 
 colors green, yellow and manganese purple. The 
 decoration is arranged in three tiers of panels of varied 
 shape, reserved in a diapered ground. The upper tier 
 presents the pictures of four of the eight Taoist genii, 
 crossing the waves of the Cosmic Sea; the rest of the 
 group would doubtless have appeared on the compan- 
 ion vase. The middle tier consists of four circular 
 medallions painted with mountain landscapes. The 
 lower tier exhibits, in four lozenge-shaped panels, 
 some of the ordinary avocations of the cultured scholar 
 a wine party with two of the convivialists playing 
 a game of mora, a musician drinking wine with his lyre 
 beside him, a literary discussion in a pavilion, and, 
 finally, a well-dressed scholar on his knees, worshipping 
 the image of Maitreya Buddha, the Messiah of the com- 
 ing age (Kalpa in Buddhist parlance). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 811. PORCELAIN PILLOW. Decorated at the 
 ends, which are pierced, with a foliated ornament on 
 green ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Length 14 inches. 
 
 812. BEAKER with oviform body, spreading mouth 
 and slightly spreading base. Covered with a multi- 
 tude of black and white cranes with red crests flying 
 among green nebulae on a brilliant yellow ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 147
 
 CASE XXXIII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 CASE XXXIII 
 
 813. LARGE PLATE. A court ceremonial scene, 
 with many figures in brilliant enamel colors and gold, 
 covers the entire surface; on the back four pale green 
 rocks divide a tumultuous deep green sea in four sec- 
 tions, over each of which fly two cranes. 
 Mark: A seal in double ring. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 20 ]/ 2 inches. 
 
 814,815. TWO VASES, tall, flask-shaped, with 
 necks spreading slightly at rim, and straight bases. 
 White dense porcelain. On the body two large lions, 
 resplendent in purple, yellow, and green, are guarding 
 two brocaded balls decked with ribbons against two 
 smaller lions, one red, the other green. The base of 
 the neck is encircled by a red line below a broad border 
 of green foliated pattern with conventional chrysan- 
 themums, in brilliant red and blue. The rim is encir- 
 cled by a rich border of inverted lotus petals. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 21 inches. 
 
 816,817. TWO TALL, TRIPLE-GOURD VASES 
 with tapering necks and spreading mouths. Rich and 
 elaborate decoration throughout, a red chrysanthemum 
 and diaper ornament completely covering the middle 
 ground and broad palmations of intricate design. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 28^ inches. 
 
 8 1 8, 819. TWO LARGE VASES with ovoid bodies, 
 cylindrical bulbous necks, and flaring mouths. Elabo- 
 rate and intricate decoration in palmated designs on 
 body, repeated on the neck with floral and arabesque 
 ornament in the white spaces. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26^ inches. 
 
 148
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXIII 
 
 820. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped with 
 rounded shoulders and short neck, on a carved stand. 
 Elaborately decorated with rich ground-work of blos- 
 soms and butterflies in brilliant colors, supporting 
 eight white reserves, round, rectangular, and leaf- 
 shaped in two tiers, enclosing paintings of emblems, 
 flowers, and birds. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 821. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped, with 
 rounded shoulders and short neck, on a carved ebony 
 stand inlaid with silver. Decorated with conventional 
 flowers in blue, red, and yellow on a green ground, leav- 
 ing four diamond-shaped foliated reserves round the 
 middle of the vase, the halves of four similar reserves 
 intervening above and below, showing landscapes and 
 lions in the centre spaces, and rocks and flowers in the 
 upper and lower. On the shoulder is a broad border 
 ornament, on green and buff ground, interrupted by 
 four reserves with bright blue borders showing red and 
 green leaves radiating from ju-i heads in blue and green. 
 The base is encircled by a broad cartouche border in 
 pink and green, surmounted by pink, red, green, and 
 yellow scalloped lines. 
 
 Mark: A double blue ring. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 822 to 826. GARNITURE OF FIVE PIECES: two 
 cylinders, two ovoid vases with covers, and tall ovoid 
 centre-piece. Elaborate decoration in five-colored 
 enamels in southern Mongol style. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 CASE XXXIV 
 
 827. LARGE PLATE. A large plate decorated 
 
 149
 
 CASE XXXIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 with a finished portrait of one of the women scholars 
 of China, probably Tan-Hui-Pan, the celebrated poetess, 
 framed in fret bands and with floral borders of unus- 
 ually rich design. The artist has attached his seals to 
 the picture, pencilled in red, with a gold background, 
 one of which, Chu Cbii (The Bamboo Retreat), we have 
 met with before as a studio name. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter iS% inches. 
 
 828. CYLINDRICAL VASE with rounded shoul- 
 ders, short neck, rim, and sloping base. Decorated with 
 colors of the famille verte relieved by the rare purple 
 ground of pale tone derived from manganese. 
 Mark: A large double ring pencilled in underglaze 
 blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i6^ inches. 
 
 829, 830. TWO BEAKERS with bulbous centres, 
 trumpet mouths, and slightly spreading bases. A fine 
 pair of famille verte beakers in which the figure deco- 
 ration, painted in brilliant enamels, is relieved by a 
 background of soft yellow tone. The decoration is 
 arranged in three tiers. Above are groups of scholars 
 engaged in the pursuit of the "four liberal arts"- 
 chess and music on one vase, calligraphy and painting 
 on the other. The middle tier has a succession of 
 picturesque mountain landscapes animated by the 
 usual "happy meeting" of two friends to admire the 
 scenery. The lower tier is filled with bands of boys 
 playing a variety of games the motive known in Chin- 
 ese art as wa wa (children). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 83 1 . CYLINDRICAL VASE, with tiara-fronted top, 
 and divided transversely by moulded double lines into 
 three sections, the upper one bearing a spout. Used 
 
 150
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXIV 
 
 for iced fruit syrups. Splashed with yellow, green and 
 
 purple. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i8^< inches. 
 
 832. WATER-BOTTLE with broad neck and slight- 
 ly spreading lip, on carved ebony stand. Cafe-au-lait 
 coarse crackle. On the body are two four-clawed 
 dragons, one red, the other deep green, contending for a 
 red ball; above are small red nebulae, and below dark 
 green waves white-capped with foam; a broad border 
 of starred hexagon in red encircles the base of the neck; 
 above, a dark green four-clawed dragon curls round the 
 neck, showing his teeth. Below the rim is a red dia- 
 mond border; and on the bottom two dark green leaves. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 15 inches. 
 
 833 to 835. THREE CYLINDRICAL VASES, of 
 same shape as No. 831, with metallic spouts. On the 
 bodies of the vases, in their three divisions, are the 
 eight horses of the Emperor Mu-Wang careering on a 
 ground of dark green wave-forms on which purple 
 blossoms and emblems are scattered; the ground- 
 work is encroached upon from above and below by 
 waves with foaming crests. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LIX) 
 
 836 and 841. TWO HORSES. One purple with 
 green and yellow harness. The other yellow with green 
 and purple harness. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 5 inches. 
 
 837. WINE-CUP. Decorated with yellow insects and 
 flowers, with green leaves on a ground of aubergine. 
 Mark: Cbia-cbing nien chih (Made in the reign of 
 Chia-ching). [i 522-1 566 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3>^ inches. Diameter 3^ inches.
 
 CASE XXXIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 838, 839. TWO LIONS. Green, yellow, and purple 
 enamel. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 840. HEXAGONAL BOX OR CAGE with reticu- 
 iated sides made to imprison crickets after the fash- 
 ion of game-cocks. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 3> inches. Diameter 2 l / 2 inches. 
 
 842, 843. TWO LIONS, staiant. White porcelain. 
 The bodies covered with bright red curl-work inter- 
 rupted by broad, green scrolls, on which are grotesque 
 lizards in pink and yellow. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8% inches. 
 
 844. STANDING FIGURE. In a green robe de- 
 corated with white prunus blossoms arranged in groups, 
 with yellow belt and black hat, upon an octagonal slab, 
 the sides of which are decorated with red lotus blooms 
 and scrolls. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9>6 inches. 
 
 845. OVIFORM JAR. White porcelain, boldly de- 
 corated with conventional chrysanthemums in brilliant 
 blue, red, and green, with scroll stems and leaves of 
 dark green. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 846. A GREEN LION, his left paw on a yellow and 
 roseate sphere. On his back he carries a small quadri- 
 lateral, tapering vase, with bevelled shoulders and a 
 collar on the neck, decorated with conventional white 
 prunus blossoms and green scrolls on a black back- 
 ground. On his forehead, the mark Wang (King of 
 beasts). 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6^ inches. 
 
 152
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXIV 
 
 847. SQUARE CASKET with pyramidal top. White 
 porcelain, the sides decorated with flowered rice-pat- 
 tern in black on a green enamelled ground interrupted 
 by white scalloped-edged lozenge-shaped reserves; on 
 top a golden lion. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 FLATTENED BOWL, fluted and scalloped. 
 Chinese, after European model. Decoration of flowers 
 and leafage in transparent enamels. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 6 inches. Length 8^ inches. 
 
 849. COVERED OVAL BOWL. Of white porce- 
 lain, elaborately decorated in green and gold. A cu- 
 rious bowl-shaped receptacle of Buddhist design for 
 chips of sandalwood, supported by three heads emerg- 
 ing from the waves of a primeval sea. The bowl has 
 the eight Buddhist symbols of good fortune (pa cbi 
 hsiang) enclosed in the meshes of its floral band of or- 
 nament, and the cover is surmounted with a knob 
 shaped like the effulgent jewel of the sacred law. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 5^ inches. Width 4% inches. 
 
 850,851. TWO HEXAGONAL WINE-JUGS with 
 bevelled shoulders, necks, rims, and covers. White 
 porcelain. The upper panels of the necks decorated 
 with conventional flowers and leaves and pierced al- 
 ternately with two and four holes. The lower panel 
 shows sprays of flowers. On the shoulders a border 
 of curved triangle-work in red. The panels on the 
 bodies show, alternately, figures of ladies and vases 
 of flowers. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8^ inches. 
 
 852. INCENSE-BURNER with metal mount. 
 Peach-bloom saucer. 
 
 '53
 
 CASE XXXIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 Mark: Ta Ch'ing Kang-bsi nien cbih (Made in the 
 reign of K'ang-hsi of the great Ch'ing dynasty). 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 853. HEXAGONAL STAND. The centre pierced. 
 On each side an imperial dragon in yellow on a ground 
 of black curl-work on bluish-green, on which em- 
 blems are scattered. Each side is pierced in the shape 
 of a ju-i head. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Length 5^ inches. Width 3^ inches. 
 
 854. SHRINE, in the shape of a peach. Inside 
 stands Sbou Lao, the god of longevity, a boy standing 
 at his right. The outside is covered with objects in 
 relief upon a richly decorated ground. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 6^ inches. 
 
 855, 856. TWO SALT CELLARS on octagonal 
 bases. Salt cellars of antique design made for the 
 European market. Elaborately decorated with scarlet 
 peonies and green leaves, the interstices being filled 
 in with blue scroll-work on a yellowish ground. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Length 3^ inches. Width 2^ inches. 
 
 857. PORCELAIN PILLOW. On top two phoe- 
 nixes, disporting among red, white, blue, green, and 
 yellow peonies, with green leaves and scroll-work. At 
 one end Sbou, and at the other Fu are pierced in circu- 
 lar form. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 Height 2>6 inches. Length 12^ inches. Width 4^ in. 
 
 858. PHCENIXor Feng-huang. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 154
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXV 
 
 CASE XXXV 
 
 859. LARGE PLATE. A large circular dish, over 
 twenty-two inches in diameter, richly decorated with 
 polychrome enamels in the most recherche style of the 
 K'ang-hsi epoch, and marked underneath with a seal 
 form of the character chih "by imperial order." The 
 theme of the main decoration is a familiar story in 
 Chinese history, which relates how the emperor was 
 so intensely interested in a game of chess (wei cb'i) 
 with one of his courtiers that he refused to be inter- 
 rupted for a moment, even to listen to the report of a 
 messenger from the commander-in-chief of the imperial 
 armies bringing tidings of imminent danger. The 
 scene is an imperial palace, with courtyards, gardens 
 and terraced pavilions. Through a round doorway 
 on the left the emperor is seen seated at a table playing 
 chess, while the envoy is kneeling and gesticulating 
 in the foreground outside the great gate of the palace. 
 The palace guards in front, the ladies of the court play- 
 ing bands of music in the courtyards or engaged in 
 various occupations in the upper stories of the pavil- 
 ions, and the rest make an animated scene, in the midst 
 of which the empress is approaching on the right to 
 remonstrate with her dilatory spouse, walking with dig- 
 nified mien, attended by two eunuchs, who hold cere- 
 monial fans over her head. 
 Mark: A square blue seal. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Diameter 22>i inches. 
 
 860,861. TWO TRIPLE-GOURD VASES. The 
 upper and lower sections are of mirror black; the lower 
 is decorated with intricate scroll-work of conventional 
 design which is relieved against a gold ground, support- 
 ing four circular reserves with vases of flowers and em- 
 blems. The middle section is of brilliant white with 
 
 155
 
 CASE XXXV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 four lions with spheres and fire-emblems. The top 
 shows two phoenixes in gold on the black enamel. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 26^ inches. 
 
 862,863. TWO WIDE-NECKED BOTTLES. Bril- 
 liant white porcelain. On the body the characters 
 Sbou (long life) and Fu (happiness) beautifully drawn 
 in transparent and lustrous enamel, and supporting 
 groups composed of the eight Immortals. The char- 
 acter Shou, on the opposite side of the vase, reveals in 
 its interstices a group of the three star-gods, Fu, Lu 
 and Shou, attended by three acolytes. On the neck 
 nebulae alternate with flying cranes. Above near the 
 lip, a band of inverted ju-i heads. Round the base, a 
 scroll border surmounted by a crenelated line, separated 
 by a white interval above from a broad border of con- 
 ventional lotus petals. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 864. OVIFORM VASE with short neck and spread- 
 ing lip. Brilliant white porcelain. On the body six 
 lions and tigers playing with spheres, intermingled with 
 various emblems and capricious ornament. Round 
 the base of the neck, a band of ju-i heads surmounted 
 by disks and on the outside rim a similar band inverted. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height i8j< inches. 
 
 865. GLOBULAR WATER-BOTTLE with straight 
 and narrow neck. A vase of the highest quality and 
 technique, decorated with transparent luminous enam- 
 els of great beauty and delicacy. The subject accord- 
 ing to the accompanying inscription, is that of Ssu 
 Hao (Four Hoary Hermits), who are apparently the 
 local Taoist genii of the mountains. They once, the 
 legend says, were men who lived in the country and 
 wandered away one day in the hills till they were lost. 
 In due course of time they attained immortality, and 
 
 156
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXV 
 
 they are yet occasionally to be seen, it is declared, by 
 favored votaries, in some of the inmost recesses of the 
 mountains. 
 
 The unique importance of this piece is due to the 
 fact that the inscription in verse which is attached to 
 the above picture is dated. It closes thus: "On a 
 fortunate day in the Sbang-huan decade of a summer 
 month in the cyclical year bsin mao." This would cor- 
 respond to the year A. D. 1711 of our calendar. The 
 locality and seal of the artist follow. The bottle is 
 marked, moreover, underneath with a large double 
 ring penciled in blue. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 866. CYLINDRICAL VASE, club-shaped. Bril- 
 liant white porcelain entirely covered with the po-tich 
 (hundred butterflies) motive. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXIV) 
 
 867. BEAKER VASE with oviform body and wide- 
 spreading mouth. Elaborately decorated in brilliant 
 colors and gold with pheasants on rocks among peonies, 
 chrysanthemums, bamboos, and pines. On the shoul- 
 der is a border of inverted ju-i heads; above it a broad 
 border of frog-spawn on which red peony flowers are 
 arranged, with four white reserves enclosing red flowers. 
 
 Note the usual association of the pheasant with the 
 chrysanthemum and the phoenix with the peony. The 
 leaf-shaped reserves of this floral diapered band encir- 
 cling the shoulder of this beaker contain naturalistic 
 sprays of orchid and peach blossom. This last, by the 
 way, may be distinguished from the prunus, with which 
 it is sometimes confounded, by its indented petals and 
 by the presence of leaves with the flowers. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 '57
 
 CASE XXXV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 868. OVIFORM VASE with short neck and spread- 
 ing lip. White porcelain, brilliant and diversified deco- 
 ration in translucent enamels of landscape and figures 
 depicting a historical episode. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 869. GLOBULAR WATER-BOTTLE with straight 
 and narrow neck. Brilliant white dense porcelain, 
 decorated with lions and tigers playing with balls in bril- 
 liant polychrome. The shoulder encircled by a broad 
 border of chrysanthemums in red and green, surmount- 
 ed by ju-i heads. Round the outer rim is a border 
 of rice pattern, with inverted ju-i heads below, from 
 which hang various ornaments. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 18 inches. 
 
 87010873. FOUR OCTAGONAL VASES with 
 spreading mouths, on four-legged porcelain stands. 
 The bodies divided vertically into eight panels contain- 
 ing flowers, exquisitely drawn and painted in delicate 
 colors. The bases have narrow scroll borders in red. 
 The necks vertically divided into four sections covered 
 with trellis-work, alternately red on white and green 
 and yellow. A red scroll border encircles the outer rim ; 
 the handles simulate wound cane. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 9 inches. 
 
 874,875. TWO PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLES. 
 White porcelain, elaborately decorated with a design 
 in red transparent enamel of phoenixes and peonies on 
 an intricate ground of scroll-work. Above the bases, 
 which are decorated, is a broad cartouche border. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8K inches. 
 
 876. PILGRIM BOTTLE with gold cap attached by 
 chains to the handles. White porcelain. On each 
 side in a circular medallion a four-clawed dragon, deli- 
 
 158
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXV 
 
 cately pencilled in red, is disporting in the firmament 
 
 with fire-emblems. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 8 inches. 
 
 877, 878. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES, club- 
 shaped. White porcelain, very richly decorated in 
 bright polychrome with landscapes and figures, re- 
 presenting a Chinese court ceremonial, brilliant per- 
 sonages in pagodas set in highly wrought landscapes 
 with elaborate accessories. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 879. LARGE BASIN OR FISH-BOWL, with 
 straight flange rim. Decorated with ducks and water- 
 plants boldly painted in blue, red, green, and yellow 
 enamels of the later Mings, on heavy, dense-white 
 glaze. 
 
 Mark: Below the rim, written horizontally, Ta Ming 
 Wan-li nien cbih (Made in the reign of Wan-li of the 
 great Ming dynasty). 
 Wan-li (1573-1619). Diameter 17^ inches. 
 
 CASE XXXVI 
 
 880,881. TWO BEAKERS with straight necks, 
 spreading lips, slightly spreading bases, and scroll han- 
 dles modelled in the form of the fungus (ling-chib), 
 on carved ebony stands. One is purplish-blue, with 
 a peony springing from behind a rock modelled in low- 
 line relief, the buff color of the paste showing through 
 the glaze in the flower and rock and in parts of the han- 
 dles. 
 
 In the other a dark purplish-blue ground supports a 
 conventional lotus flower with scroll-like leaves model- 
 led in low relief. The orange-colored paste shows al- 
 most purely in the flower and partially through the 
 
 159
 
 CASE XXXVl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 leaves and handles, forming shades of rich green and 
 purple. The lip and base are orange. Imitation of 
 Sung or Ming. 
 
 Yung-cheng (1723-1735). Height i6K inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXVIII) 
 
 882. BEAKER with dragon handles. A character- 
 istic beaker of early Ming porcelain worthy of some 
 study, rough as it is, being of heavy, massive make and 
 archaic style. One portion of the decoration, the open- 
 work dragon handles and the foliated band around the 
 shoulder of the vase, is executed in underglaze purplish 
 blue, and left with a modicum of white reserve. The 
 rest of the surface is filled in with two enamels peculiar 
 to the time, a rich green of mottled aspect and a full 
 yellow of orange tone, all the details of the decoration 
 being finally outlined in black brush work. The foot, 
 roughly shaped on the lathe, is not glazed, and there 
 is no "mark " attached. 
 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 20 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXIX) 
 
 883. INCENSE-BURNER with four vertical flanges 
 on the sides, and pyramidal base. Clair-de-lune and 
 purplish-orange crackle. Base of a Kuang-yao piece, 
 cut down. 
 
 Height 4X inches. Diameter 5^ inches. 
 
 BOTTLE, with long, bulbous neck. In dark- 
 purple aubergine glaze, a horse-headed dragon of ar- 
 chaic form, modelled in high relief, coils downward 
 round the neck, the yellowish biscuit showing in places. 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height n inches. 
 
 885. OVIFORM VASE with short neck and over- 
 hanging lip. The body of a dark grayish-blue glaze 
 
 160
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXVI 
 
 covered with a broadly treated floral design in various 
 
 shades of purple. 
 
 Early Ming (1368-1643). Height 12 inches. 
 
 886. LONG-NECKED VASE, octagonal with flar- 
 ing mouth. Purple aubergine glaze with archaic dragon 
 coiled round the neck in high relief. Typical piece 
 of old Kuang-yao, with archaic designs worked in 
 relief, and filled in with mottling glazes of finely 
 crackled texture. The iron gray color of the pate is 
 seen on inspection of the foot underneath. 
 
 Height 1 1 inches. 
 
 887. OVIFORM FLATTENED VASE. Fine dark 
 metallic blue crackle. Southern China, sixteenth cen- 
 tury. Height 7^<4 inches. 
 
 BOWL. Clair-de lune; heavy, rich robin's-egg 
 glaze. 
 Sung (420-1279). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 889. SEATED FIGURE. In a deep purple-blue 
 robe with border and belt of turquoise; on his breast in 
 an oval is a pale yellow dragon in low relief. 
 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 9 inches. 
 
 890. SMALL PILGRIM BOTTLE with bulbous 
 mouth. Pale dair-de-lune blue on a dull orange paste. 
 On each side are the eight mystical trigrams of the 
 Taoists radiating from the yin-yang emblem. 
 
 Sung (420-1279). Height ^/ 2 inches. 
 
 891. BOWL. A characteristic Sung dynasty bowl 
 with a grayish purple crackled glaze, clouded with an 
 irregular patch of warmer tone inside; and outside run- 
 ning down in a thick unctuous film, which ends below 
 
 161
 
 CASE XXXVl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 in an irregular line, so as to leave the lower part of the 
 
 bowl and the foot unglazed. 
 
 Sung (420-1279). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 892. BULBOUS VASE. Dense purplish porce- 
 lain, with an orange-peel surface. 
 
 Yung-ch'eng (1723-1735). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 893. VASE, foliated neck, melon-shaped body, and 
 stem-like foot. A Kuang-yao vase modelled in a form 
 much affected in these potteries and invested with a 
 grayish celadon glaze. Some of the glaze around the 
 foliated rim has been chipped off, disclosing the dark- 
 colored paste underneath. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 13 inches. 
 
 894. VASE, flattened oviform shape, with spreading 
 foot. Body yellowish-white with reserves in archaic 
 borders of blue, red, and green and crude floral and 
 other ornament. The provenance of this peculiar 
 archaic style of decoration of which this vase is a fine 
 example, has not yet been satisfactorily determined. 
 It has, meanwhile, been by some authorities provis- 
 ionally attributed to Corea, but more light is needed. 
 
 Height 13 inches. 
 
 895. FIGURE OF KUAN-YIN, the Chinese god- 
 dess of mercy. Seated in a shrine of purple-blue rocks, 
 in which are ensconced various objects, including a 
 miniature enshrined Buddha. In the goddess's head- 
 dress or tiara is another miniature Buddha seated on 
 a lotus flower; a turquoise parrot and diminutive figure 
 in biscuit, with a garment in green, turquoise, and yel- 
 low, attend at each knee. The technique of this re- 
 markable image of Kuan-yin (Avalokitesvara) is spec- 
 ially interesting. There are several affinities to the 
 celebrated figure of the same divinity, which is enshrin- 
 
 162
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXVI 
 
 ed in the Buddhist temple, Pao Kuo'ssu, at Pekin, and 
 which is credibly attributed to the Yuan dynasty. 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 22 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXX) 
 
 896. OVIFORM JAR. Dark purple-blue body with 
 diffuse ornament in relief in turquoise, intermingled 
 with light blue and orange. The main decoration of 
 this oviform jar, a production of the Pekin potteries, 
 consists of scenes illustrative of the "four liberal arts" 
 of the Chinese: music (cb'iri) and chess (cVi} being 
 grouped together in one panel, while the other two are 
 devoted to painting (bud) and literature (s hu). 
 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 13 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXXII) 
 
 897. CHUN-CHOU TRIPOD BOWL on carved 
 ebony pedestal. Of light purplish-blue and clair-de 
 lune porcelain, the other rim encircled by a flat project- 
 ing band with studs, which like the feet, are of a 
 bronze-orange. 
 
 Mark: Wu (five) , incised in foot. Diameter jyZ inches. 
 
 CASE XXXVII 
 
 INVERTED PEAR-SHAPED VASE. Round 
 the shoulder arabesque festoons in high relief, from 
 which depend beaded cords with ju-i heads and pre- 
 cious emblems similarly treated; below, a foliated car- 
 touche border surmounted by a row of bosses, the whole 
 in relief on an intense blue ground. 
 Early Ming (1368-1643). Height 18 inches. 
 
 899. QUADRILATERAL INCENSE-BURNER. 
 On the back and front panels are four-clawed dragons 
 among waves, pierced through and elaborately carved 
 
 63
 
 CASE XXXVIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 on the sides. The four feet are lions' heads. On the 
 lid is another dragon on a rock, and a row of inverted 
 ju-i heads on the edge. The whole invested with a 
 dark purple glaze relieved by grayish-yellow, green, 
 and blue. 
 Early Ming (1368-1643). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 900. GLOBULAR JAR with bell-shaped cover. 
 Decorated in low relief line with figures of the Im- 
 mortals in waves and clouds, in low-toned colors on a 
 dull blue ground. 
 Early Ming (1368-1643). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 901,902. TWO GARDEN-SEATS. Round the 
 centre a broad band, pierced and modelled, showing 
 four-clawed red dragons among yellow chrysanthe- 
 mums with blue-green leaves. On each side dark blue 
 lion-head rudimentary handles surrounded by curl- 
 work in foliated ovals. Above and below the reticu- 
 lated space are rows of knots of opalescent blue on a 
 deep, dull blue ground. 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 15 inches. 
 
 903. WINE-BOTTLE. Deep blue porcelain. Round 
 the centre a band pierced to show cream-colored and 
 orange peonies with blue-green leaves. 
 
 Early Ming (1368-1643). Height 8% inches. 
 
 904. WATER-BOTTLE with neck and shoulder in 
 four lateral concave sections. The two upper sections 
 are cobalt-blue blotched with aubergine, the lower one 
 is aubergine, while the third is pure cobalt like the body, 
 on which, in relief, and defined in purple, are the eight 
 precious objects of the Buddhists. 
 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 905. 906. TWO JARS. Decorated in low-relief line 
 
 164
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXVII 
 
 with ochre-tinted lotus flowers with bluish-green leaves 
 on an aubergine ground; round the necks are primitive 
 cartouche borders. 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 6^ inches. 
 
 907. TRIPOD INCENSE-BURNER with studded 
 metal rim. Elaborately modelled to show an imperial 
 dragon and phoenix disporting among peonies. The 
 feet are massive ling-chili. The whole in green, yel- 
 low, and purple glaze. 
 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 6 l /2 inches. 
 
 908. VASE. Round the shoulder, connected by a 
 festooned cord, are eight lion-heads with tassels hang- 
 ing from their mouths; below are seen the eight Immor- 
 tals; the whole reticulated and in relief, the biscuit 
 showing buff on a bright blue ground above the 
 shoulder and on deep purple below. 
 
 Early Ming (1368-1643). Height 10 inches. 
 
 909. LARGE GLOBULAR VASE with cover. The 
 whole in light blue unctuous glaze of early Ming. The 
 main decoration of this captivating jar, like that of 
 No. 896, which is apparently a production from the 
 same workshop, consists again of the "four liberal 
 arts," with the necessary apparatus and figures grouped 
 in somewhat similar fashion as in the companion jar, 
 but lightened by a pierced background along the 
 broad openwork band, which forms an outer casing for 
 a ponderous jar. The soft turquoise tint which pre- 
 vails in the decoration of this jar makes an admirable 
 contrast to the bright aubergine ground of the other. 
 Early Ming (1368-1643). Height 18 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXXI) 
 
 910. INVERTED PEAR-SHAPED VASE with 
 short neck and spreading base. This baluster form 
 
 -65
 
 CASE XXXVIII] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 of vase, with its slightly spreading foot, rounded, 
 swelling shoulder, small neck and lightly rimmed 
 mouth, is known to the Chinese by the name of mei 
 p'ing (prunus vase), and is supposed by them to be 
 an appropriate shape to hold a single spray of prunus 
 blossoms as a herald to the New Year's festival. The 
 decoration is finely worked in relief in the paste, so 
 that the enamels are enclosed within raised outlines 
 sharply and crisply modelled. The technique, in 
 fact, is not so far different from that of a champleve 
 enamel on copper. 
 Ming (1368-1643). Height 14^ inches. 
 
 CASE XXXVIII 
 
 911. OVOID VASE. A large ovoid vase from the 
 imperial potteries of the Ch'ien-lung period with the 
 inside of the neck and the foot enamelled green, so as 
 to leave a small square reserve underneath, in which 
 the seal mark of the reign is pencilled in red. It is 
 decorated outside in the soft enamels of the famille 
 rose with gilding. The ground, tooled with graviata 
 scroll work, is enamelled pink, filling in all the intervals 
 between sparsely spread sprays of natural flowers 
 which are delicately tinted in colors. This floral 
 ground is interrupted by three circular reserves which 
 are painted with the panel pictures which form the 
 main decoration of the vase. The groups of figures 
 which occupy the panels are of Taoist aspect, the 
 central figure of each group being an aged pilgrim 
 leaning on a staff and holding in his hand respectively 
 a spray of chrysanthemums, a bunch of peonies and a 
 sprig of prunus in blossom. Perhaps the three star 
 gods, Fu, Lu and Shou are intended to be represented. 
 Upon the shoulder and neck of the vase the forms of a 
 pair of lizard dragons (cb'ib lung) and the figure of a 
 
 1 66
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXVIII 
 
 bat, the emblem of happiness, are worked in high 
 undercut relief, and colored with the same palette. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 21 inches. 
 
 912. OVOID JAR with lion cover. A ground of 
 scroll lotus on black in brilliant colors supports four 
 foliated oval reserves enclosing landscapes and flowers; 
 rows of deep rose petals, with floral decorations, en- 
 circle the base and shoulder. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 24^ inches. 
 
 913,914. TWO OVOID JARS with lion covers. 
 Elaborate decorations of chrysanthemum and em- 
 blems in brilliant colors on black, with leaf-scroll and 
 fruit-shaped reserves enclosing flowers, birds, and deer. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 33 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXXVI) 
 
 915,916. TWO OVOID FLUTED VASES with 
 lion covers. Red, yellow, and white chrysanthemum- 
 scroll on a black ground supporting reserves of varied 
 form enclosing landscapes and flowers in brilliant 
 colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height i8K inches. 
 
 917. COVERED FLUTED BOWL. Rose and white 
 peonies, red, yellow, and white asters, and convolvulus 
 with green scroll leaves on a black ground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 8 inches. 
 
 918, 919. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. Decor- 
 ated with a figure scene, apparently copied from a 
 European copper-engraving, in low-toned colors and 
 gold. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \]4 inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 167
 
 CASE XXXVIIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 920,921. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. A lady 
 in European costume holding a flower, with landscape 
 background, occupies one-third of the design; the rest, 
 Chinese fruits and flowers, with scroll-work. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \ l / 2 inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4^" inches. 
 
 922. CUP AND SAUCER. The cup has white 
 prunus in reserve on black, with three foliated reserves 
 enclosing sprays of flowers and blue triangle border 
 inside; the saucer, floral decoration and borders in 
 blue, red, and green; the back is black with flowers in 
 reserve. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height \]/ 2 inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter inches. 
 
 923. CUP AND SAUCER. A tiny cup and saucer 
 painted inside in colors with the lotus and melon gourd, 
 and covered outside in laque burgautee with delicately 
 executed landscapes. The lacquer layer is peeling off 
 in places, revealing the rough, unglazed surface of the 
 porcelain, as specially prepared for the reception of the 
 lac and the tinted slips of mother-of-pearl and gold 
 leaf employed in this method of decoration. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height \% inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 924. CUP AND SAUCER. The saucer shows a 
 familiar scene, with a lady seated at a table playing 
 on a pipa, or guitar, and a boy bolding a ju-i sceptre; 
 the cup has rose-flowered octagon-and-square impinged 
 upon above by a lambrequin of Y-pattern on gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height iK inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 6 inches. 
 
 168
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXVIII 
 
 925. COVERED CUP AND SAUCER. Showing 
 a street scene, with two ladies passing on horseback, 
 while two others and a man look forth from a house 
 near by; painted in sombre colors and gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height 3^ inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 6 l /% inches. 
 
 926,927. TWO OCTAGONAL COVERED CUPS 
 AND SAUCERS. With yellow and white asters in 
 black panels alternating with white ones enclosing 
 peonies and chrysanthemums in bright rose, green, 
 and blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height 3^ inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 928. CUP AND SAUCER. Alternate panels of 
 gold and black, with geometric borders enclosing em- 
 blems and flowers. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height \ l / 2 inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 929. BOWL AND SAUCER. Rich and elaborate 
 floral and geometric decoration in brilliant colors and 
 gold; the bowl with two white reserves showing flower- 
 ing shrubs and pheasants. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Bowl: Height 2*^ inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 6X inches. 
 
 930. PLATE, rose-backed. A lady seated on a 
 bench, before her three children at play, while another 
 looks at them over her shoulder. On the edge four 
 sprays of flowering plants; the whole in bright enamel 
 colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 9^ inches. 
 
 169
 
 CASE XXXVIIl]THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 931, 932. TWO PLATES, rose-backed. In the cen- 
 tre in a brilliant blue basket, red peony and other 
 flowers; on the edge three sprays of flowers alternate 
 with three groups of fruit, the whole in brilliant enamels. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8>6 inches, 
 
 933. PLATE, rose-backed. In the centre two 
 sprays of flowers and a butterfly; on the edge four 
 sprays of flowers in bright colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 934. PLATE, rose-backed. A lake scene; in the 
 foreground two boats, a female figure guiding one into 
 which a man is handing a large catfish, held by another 
 waist-deep in the water; on the edge three sprays of 
 flowers alternate with three bunches of fruit. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8j/s inches. 
 
 935. CUP AND SAUCER. A young man in cos- 
 tume of Louis XV stands beside a seated girl, her left 
 hand holding a large gold floral scroll; the rest in bril- 
 liant color enclosed by a rose octagon-and-square 
 border. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Saucer: Diameter 5^ inches. 
 Cup: Height 2% inches. 
 
 936. CUP AND SAUCER. Showing in bright 
 enamel colors a lady seated playing the guitar before 
 a boy dancing; the rest of the saucer and of the outside 
 of the cup is dead black with geometric border and 
 floral festoons delicately pencilled in gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height \y 2 inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 937,938. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. Similar 
 
 170
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXVIII 
 
 decoration to Nos. 918, 919, but in darker colors and 
 without gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height i> inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4^2 inches. 
 
 939, 940. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. Pastoral 
 scenes with sheep and half-clad figures in delicate colors, 
 with borders in black and gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \]4 inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 CASE XXXIX 
 
 941,942. TWO OVOID JARS with lion covers. 
 Red, blue, and rose chrysanthemum with green scroll 
 leaves on a black ground supporting white reserves of 
 varied form enclosing cocks with peonies, and other 
 birds and flowers in brilliant colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 24^ inches. 
 
 943. OVOID JAR with lion cover. Peony, lotus, 
 and chrysanthemum scroll, with dark and pale green 
 scroll leaves on a black ground, supports three reserves 
 of arabesque outline enclosing flowering plants; on the 
 shoulder an elaborate lambrequin, and a cartouche 
 border on the base; the whole in vivid enamel colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 26^ inches. 
 
 944, 946. THREE OVOID JARS with bell-shaped 
 covers. Blue, rose, and yellow chrysanthemum with 
 deep green scroll leaves on a black ground supporting 
 white reserves of varied shape, with flowers in delicate 
 colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 171
 
 CASE XXXIX] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 947, 948. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with trum- 
 pet mouths and retreating bases. Blue, yellow, and 
 white chrysanthemum, etc., as on No. 944. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 14 inches. 
 
 949, 950. TWO CYLINDRICAL CUPS AND SAU- 
 CERS. Yellow and rose chrysanthemum with deep 
 green leaves on a black ground, with white reserves 
 enclosing flowers in rose, green, and yellow. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height 4K inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 6X inches. 
 
 951. CYLINDRICAL VASE with trumpet mouth 
 and retreating base. Rose, yellow, and blue chrysan- 
 themums with green scroll leaves on a ground of black 
 supporting two foliated oval reserves enclosing flower- 
 ing plants; lotus-capped arabesques above and below. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 13^ inches. 
 
 952. PLATE, rose-backed. A lady seated, her left 
 arm resting on a table, her left foot across her knee, be- 
 side her two children, vases, etc.; on the rim three 
 sprays of flowers and three groups of fruit; the whole 
 in bright colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8>i inches. 
 
 953. SAUCER, rose-backed. A flycatcher in bril- 
 liant plumage on a twig of rose prunus spreading from 
 the right edge together with a branch of bamboo. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 954. SAUCER, rose-backed. Probably Lti Tung- 
 pin, one of the eight Immortals, in pale yellow robe, 
 sea-green trousers, and blue shoes, a black fly-brush in 
 his hand, riding on a mottled rose-colored monster with 
 curly black mane, beard, and tail, and a gold bell round 
 
 172
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XXXIX 
 
 his neck; beside him runs a boy carrying his red and gold 
 
 sword and a bundle of scrolls. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8>i inches. 
 
 95 5 , 956. TWO SAUCERS, rose-backed. Scene on 
 the stock-farm of the Emperor Mu Wang, of the Chou 
 dynasty (B. c. 1 122-255), showing his black, white, ver- 
 milion-pied cadmium-yellow, and blush-rose colored 
 blooded stock, the whole eight of them at large in a 
 rocky pasture. They are attended by a monkey, who, 
 from the branch of a willow to the left is endeavouring 
 to regulate the movements of a carmine courser by 
 means of a cord. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 957 to 959. THREE CUPS AND SAUCERS, rose- 
 backed. In centre a butterfly and beetle hover over 
 peony and tea-plant enclosed by a pink scroll border 
 and yellow Y-pattern, with three reserves enclosing blue 
 rose, and yellow hng-chih. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \y 2 inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 960, 961 . TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS, rose-backed. 
 Similar to the preceding, but having scroll dragons in 
 some reserves. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \y 2 inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4^3 inches. 
 
 CASE XL 
 
 962. OVOID VASE. Rose peony, magnolia, and 
 yellow and white chrysanthemum on black, supporting 
 
 173
 
 CASE XL] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 four oval foliated reserves enclosing flowers and shrubs 
 
 in brilliant colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17^ inches, 
 
 963,964. TWO OVOID JARS with bell covers. 
 White reserves of various shapes, on a rose ground, en- 
 closing birds and butterflies with flowers and land- 
 scapes in pale colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 965 to 967. THREE FLUTED OVOID JARS, two 
 with metal covers. Brilliant blue, red, and yellow 
 chrysanthemums and white peonies with deep green 
 curled leaves on a black ground; round the bases car- 
 touche borders in the same colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 9^ inches. 
 
 968,969. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES with 
 spreading mouths and truncated bases. Red chrysan- 
 themum with deep green scroll leaves and an occa- 
 sional white or yellow semi-blossom on a black ground 
 supporting yellow-edged reserves of varied form, en- 
 closing flowers and landscapes. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 970. CUP AND SAUCER. The cup beautifully 
 modelled in the form of a pink lotus blossom with 
 striated petals, green stalks, and dark red bud twisted 
 to form the base; the saucer fashioned as a pink chry- 
 santhemum with white centre, green stems and leaves. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height 2 inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 971, 972. TWO VESSELS with handles. Branches 
 of prunus with birds, and red, blue, gold, and white 
 flowers in low relief on a light rose ground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 4 l / 2 inches. Diameter 5 inches.
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XL 
 
 973. TEA-POT. Figures in European costume, 
 borders, and lambrequins in brilliant enamels. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 7^ inches. 
 
 974, 975. TWO VESSELS with handles. A red fish- 
 roe ground, with sprays of flowering bamboo and gold 
 prunus on the bodies and inside mouths, with foliated 
 reserves enclosing emblems and flowers; outside on 
 necks are sprays of lotus. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 4 inches. Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 976. CUP AND SAUCER. Modelled as chrysan- 
 themum flowers, with stalks and leaves in relief and 
 painted in yellow, aubergine, and green. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height 2^ inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4 inches. 
 
 977 to 979. THREE COVERED BOWLS with dou- 
 ble handles. Modelled as chrysanthemum flowers, with 
 twisted stems, leaves, and mice superimposed in high re- 
 lief, and painted in rose, green, yellow and vivid cobalt. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 5 % inches. 
 
 980. VESSEL with fluted mouth. Floral ornament 
 in white, yellow, and green on ruby-red; inside mouth 
 three sprays of rose peony. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 3K inches. Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 981 10983. THREE RETICULATED HANGING 
 GLOBES, for fragrant flowers. Floral and scroll dec- 
 oration in vivid enamel colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 3 % inches. 
 
 984. OCTAGONAL PLATE. A greenish-yellow 
 
 175
 
 CASE XL] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 buck and rose-colored doe tripping by brilliant blue 
 rocks with red peony, asters, ling-chih, and overhanging 
 prunus; framed in an eight-pointed pale blue star, with 
 red lotus flowers in each ray on a ground of deep rose 
 with alternating trellis and swastika diapers and blue 
 and yellow flowers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 985. OCTAGONAL PLATE. Woman and boy in 
 boat approaching one on shore with a child slung on her 
 back beneath willow and red prunus trees; framed in a 
 deep blue star, with red lotus in each ray, on a diapered 
 rose ground. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 986, 987. TWO OCTAGONAL PLATES. Sprays 
 of flowers and geometric design in deep rose and deli- 
 cate enamel colors, with four intervals enclosing floral 
 scrolls in black. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter j^ inches. 
 
 98810993. SIX OCTAGONAL PLATES. A fam- 
 iliar scene showing a lady seated and two children, sur- 
 rounded by objects of taste and utility; poorly drawn; 
 the edges have eight oblong reserves with sprays of flow- 
 ering plants on a rose ground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8y& inches. 
 
 993A. HANGING GLOBE. A beautiful little hang- 
 ing globe, with pierced openwork sides and small, round 
 cover, delicately enamelled with bright colors and gild- 
 ing of the reign of K'ang-hsi. The decoration con- 
 sists of sprays of peony flowers, arranged in medallions, 
 spandrels, and encircling bands, with grounds pierced 
 in a hexagonal pattern. The solid borders of this 
 pierced work, and the rims, are overlaid with a fine 
 brocade studded with prunus blossoms shaded alter- 
 
 176
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XL 
 
 nately red and purple, and the four medallions are 
 clasped at their meeting points with red and gold sceptre 
 heads of prunus flowers. They are intended to be hung 
 in the corners of ceiling lamps filled with fragrant jas- 
 mine flowers or artificial perfumes. 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). 
 
 994, 995. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. With out- 
 side honeycomb reticulation, medallions pierced with 
 radiating lines, and floral and geometric decoration in 
 colors and gold. 
 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Cups: Height 3 inches. 
 
 Saucers: Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 996. CUP AND SAUCER. Familiar scenes of lad- 
 ies and children at various occupations, painted in 
 bright enamels and gold. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height i^ inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 5^ inches. 
 
 997, 998. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. Lady and 
 girl under a willow painted in bright colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height 2> inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 999. CUP AND SAUCER. A lady seated on a blue 
 rock beneath a tree, discoursing to a child who plays 
 with a cat; near by are vases with fruits and flowers; in 
 brilliant colors surrounded by a gold scroll border on a 
 blue Y-pattern. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height 1^4 inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 5^ inches. 
 
 177
 
 iooo, iooi. TWO OVOID JARS with bell covers. 
 Familiar scenes and cocks in rose prunus trees, en- 
 closed in reserves of varied form intermingled with pale 
 yellow and rose chrysanthemum sprays and isolated 
 blossoms on deep rose ground. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 25 inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXXIII) 
 
 1 002. BOWL. The outside deep rose with petal- 
 shaped forms in blue surmounted by a yellow diaper 
 and gold rim. Inside is a vase, flowers on a white 
 ground, and a floral border with white reserves. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 15^ inches. 
 
 (PLATE LXXIII) 
 
 1003, 1004. TWO LARGE VASES, with elaborate 
 decoration of phoenixes and flowers in the transparent 
 enamels of the middle Ch'ien-lung period. Richly 
 decorated borders of diaper and various ornament on 
 the shoulder and cover, the latter surmounted with a 
 peach in rose enamel. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 30 inches. 
 
 1005. STANDING FIGURE. Dressed in robes of 
 sea-green and imperial yellow, with elaborate decora- 
 tion of gold-headed vermilion phoenixes in round medal- 
 lions and red lotus with black leaves on a deep green 
 ground; her girdle is embroidered in blue-flowered oc- 
 tagon-and-square, the squares having the sacred swas- 
 tika in black on yellow; her skirt is covered with bril- 
 liant butterflies; her shoes are red. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 37 inches. 
 
 (PLATE i) 
 
 , 7 8
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XL1 
 
 1006 to 1010. FIVE CUPS AND SAUCERS. Each 
 decorated with three butterflies, exquisitely drawn and 
 painted, hovering on a deep rose ground; in the bottom 
 of the cups and the centre of each saucer is a yellow 
 flower with green leaves. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \% inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter inches. 
 
 ion. CUP AND SAUCER. Ruby ground with 
 white reserves enclosing floral and scroll decoration in 
 bronze, black and blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Height \y 2 inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter > inches. 
 
 CASE XLII 
 
 1012. LARGE OVOID JAR with bell cover. Dec- 
 orated with four reticulated vases holding peonies, 
 chrysanthemums, prunus, and other flowers in brilliant 
 colors on a white ground; on shoulder and base are 
 broad foliated borders of deep rose with floral orna- 
 ments; the cover is similarly decorated, and the lotus- 
 bud top is gilt. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 31 inches. 
 
 1013. BEAKER VASE. Decorated with strings of 
 precious emblems depending from arabesque borders in 
 vivid colors on a pale rose ground. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 1014. 1015. TWO OVOID JARS with bell covers 
 and retreating bases. White reserves of various shapes 
 containing sprays of flowers, and rose, yellow, blue, and 
 
 179
 
 CASE XLIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 white chrysanthemum flowers, singly and in pairs, on a 
 
 ground of pale rose. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 17^ inches. 
 
 1016, 1017. TWO CYLINDRICAL VASES, with 
 spreading mouths and bases. Two foliated reserves 
 containing sprays of flowers on a ground of pale rose; 
 above and below are green arabesque borders with red 
 and white lotus blossoms. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 9!^ inches. 
 
 1018. OVOID VASE. Deep rose. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 15^ inches. 
 
 1019, 1 020. TWO BOWLS on carved wood stands. 
 Deep rose. Notice the "mark" pencilled underneath 
 in cobalt blue, encircled by a double ring, a group of 
 symbols, a pencil brush (pi), an ingot (ling), and a 
 sceptre (ju-i), connoting the sentence, rebus fashion 
 " May your wishes be fulfilled." 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 1021,1022. TWO BOWLS. Rose. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 1023. BOWL on carved ebony stand. Rose. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 5^ inches. 
 
 1024. FLUTED BOWL. A fluted bowl with an in- 
 dented rim covered outside with a rich rouge d'or glaze 
 of crimson tone. It has an imperial factory seal under- 
 neath, Ta Ch'ing Yung-cb'eng nien cbib (1723-1735). 
 
 Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 1025. 1026. TWO FIGURES OF LADIES, stand- 
 ing, holding lotus buds for candlesticks. Dressed in 
 robes of dark and pale rose, pale blue, and sea-green, em- 
 
 180
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLII 
 
 broidered with scroll lotus leaves and flowered octagon 
 and square pattern tricked with yellow and gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height \\ l / 2 inches. 
 
 1027, 1028. TWO VESSELS with fluted mouths. 
 White and yellow lotus scrolls on deep rose; the inter- 
 iors white with sprays of flowers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height 3K inches. Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 1029. CUP with high concave base. Floral scrolls 
 in pale yellow, deep green, and blue on a light rose 
 ground, with two foliated reserves showing ladies 
 seated, and boys, the interior robin's-egg blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 3^ inches. 
 
 1030. LADY, seated on garden-seat. Dressed in 
 light rose, dull yellow, and sea-green robes embroidered 
 with lotus, cranes, nebulae, and geometric ornament in 
 bright enamel colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 9*^ inches. 
 
 1031. HEXAGONAL VASE for fragrant flowers. 
 Six panels pierced to show lake and mountain scenes, 
 and painted in brilliant enamels. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 4^ inches. 
 
 1032. 1033. TWO PLATES. A central hexagonal 
 star on ground of blue Y-pattern shows ladies regard- 
 ing two children who play with a pair of rabbits; on 
 edge rose octagon and square with four lotus-leaf re- 
 serves enclosing golden lotus flowers and four circles 
 with scroll dragons, the whole in bright enamel colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8X inches. 
 
 1034. PLATE. In central circle a lady seated, sur- 
 rounded by three children at play; on the floor are two 
 
 iSi
 
 CASE XLIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 white rabbits, jars, books, and a table with flowers, etc., 
 
 in brilliant colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8y& inches. 
 
 1035, 1036. TWO PLATES. In centre circle a lady 
 seated holding a flower and conversing with two chil- 
 dren; behind her on bamboo table is a vase of red ling- 
 chih, and a golden lion; on edge, rose octagon-and- 
 square pattern with three leaf- and fruit-shaped re- 
 serves enclosing flowers and three circular scroll drag- 
 ons in gold on black. The whole in delicate colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 1037101042. SIX CUPS AND SAUCERS. A 
 lady seated playing the guitar; beside her a boy holding 
 a ju-i sceptre; near by are palm-trees and vases; with 
 borders of floral and geometric design in brilliant colors 
 and gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \% inches. 
 Saucers : Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 CASE XLIII 
 
 1043, 1044- TWO CH'IEN-LUNG VASES of elab- 
 orate design, decorated in enamels of the famille rose 
 class, and gilding with diapered frets and basketwork 
 grounds of diverse pattern, and with formal scrolls of 
 flowers and birds. Both have outer casings 'to the 
 bodies, pierced through with four reticulated panels of 
 foliated outline. In the first the panels are carved in a 
 plain hexagonal network. In the second one of the 
 panels is fashioned with an archaic three-clawed drag- 
 on, surrounded with the clouds, opposite a tiger roar- 
 ing from a rocky landscape, and the other two panels 
 
 182
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLIII 
 
 are worked with openwork scrolls of bamboo and 
 
 prunus. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 13^ inches. 
 
 1045. OVOID JAR with lion cover. On this large 
 vase the four principal panels in which sprays of flowers 
 are grouped to form the decoration are shaped in the out- 
 line of fruit and leaves. The two fruits, opposite each 
 other, are the pomegranate and the Buddha's hand 
 citron, the leaves are those of the Ficus religiosa and 
 the nelumbium lotus. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 24^ inches. 
 
 1046. CYLINDRICAL VASE with spreading mouth 
 and base. Deep rose, with white, red, yellow, and blue 
 chrysanthemum flowers arranged between white re- 
 serves of varied shapes containing cocks and peonies, 
 sprays of flowers, and landscapes. Round the lip is a 
 lozenge swastika border in black on greenish-yellow, in- 
 terrupted by four white oblong reserves, defined by a 
 broad line of cobalt-blue and a broader one of lemon- 
 yellow, enclosing sprays of red prunus and peony. 
 Ch'ien-ung (1736-1795). Height 13^" inches. 
 
 1047101051. GARNITURE OF THREE IN- 
 VERTED PEAR-SHAPED, FLUTED VASES with 
 caps and spreading bases, and TWO SMALL BEAK- 
 ERS. Covered with a fish-roe ground, sprinkled with 
 red prunus blossoms and flowers of the bamboo, with 
 yellow and blue-green leaves, interrupted, on the front 
 and back of the pieces, by two upright oval foliated 
 white reserves outlined in blue, showing a red peony 
 and a branch of red prunus in a black vase with gold 
 decoration; beyond are blue and white scrolls with gold 
 ribbons; to the left a gold cb'i-lin sits on a green leaf, 
 from under which a red ju-i sceptre projects; on a 
 stand, to the right, is a dwarf pine. Above each cen- 
 
 183
 
 CASE XLIIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 tral reserve is a blue reserve enclosing a red lotus flower 
 with white scroll leaves, and below is a lotus flower in 
 a blue semi-circle. Two circular reserves, similarly 
 decorated, are on each side. Black borders on pale 
 rose surround the base, neck, and rim of lid, which is 
 covered with fish-roe and flowers, as on the body, with 
 a circular blue reserve enclosing a red lotus flower, 
 from the centre of which the white top, modelled as a 
 lotus bud, springs. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Vases: Height 12^ inches. 
 Beakers: Height 10% inches. 
 
 1052 to 1057. GARNITURE OF THREE IN- 
 VERTED PEAR-SHAPED VASES, AND THREE 
 CYLINDRICAL VASES with spreading mouths and 
 slightly spreading bases. Pale rose with two foliated 
 white reserves enclosing groups of red peonies and yel- 
 low chrysanthemums. On the shoulders and necks 
 arabesque ornament in green, with red lotus flowers 
 above and white ones below; on bases the same, with 
 white lotus flowers above and prunus flowers below, al- 
 ternately red and yellow. On the sides are yellow chry- 
 santhemum flowers. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Vases: Height \\% inches. 
 Beakers: Height 9^ inches. 
 (PLATE LXXVII) 
 
 1058. PLATE. White porcelain. A ground of 
 black octagon-and-square supports a fruit-shaped white 
 reserve surrounded by peony, chrysanthemum, prunus, 
 and other flowers painted in delicate enamel colors, and 
 enclosing two silver pheasants with blue crests, exquis- 
 itely drawn and etched in the paste. On the edge floral 
 scrolls in colors and gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 184
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLIII 
 
 1059. PLATE. With scalloped border outlined in 
 red. Of the nine intervals three are white with sprays 
 of rose-colored prunus; the other six have a ground of 
 flowered square-and-octagon on white. A narrow bor- 
 der of trellis-work surrounds the white centre, in which 
 a lady sits holding an orchid in her left hand. On her 
 left are two children, behind them a large golden jar; 
 between them and the lady is seen a vase of brilliant 
 cobalt-blue containing red peonies. On her right is a 
 large covered jar decorated in blue on white, with gold 
 top and handles, behind which is a golden lion on a bam- 
 boo stand, and a vase, the whole in delicate enamel 
 colors. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 1060. PLATE. With central decoration of flowers 
 and butterflies in delicate enamel colors, encircled by a 
 narrow spiral border in gold on black, and a wide border 
 of black octagon-and-square pattern on rose du Barry, 
 having three white oblong reserves, with foliated ends 
 defined in cobalt blue, containing sprays of red prunus 
 and chrysanthemum. Centreing between these re- 
 serves are three circles with the character Shou in deep 
 blue on white. The rose-colored ground is impinged 
 upon at its outer edge by a pale green, irregularly un- 
 dulating border. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8> inches. 
 
 1 06 1 . 1062. TWO PLATES. In centre, on a ground 
 of black Y-pattern on pale blue, a large foliated hexa- 
 gonal white reserve shows a lady holding a ju-i sceptre, 
 seated in a bright yellow chair; before her are four chil- 
 dren; to her left are porcelain garden-seats and a large 
 bright blue vase; to her right, on a blue-topped bamboo 
 table, stand a peony in a bright blue vase, two bundles 
 of books, and an incense-burner. The inner border is a 
 narrow black scroll on pale greenish-yellow; the outer
 
 CASE XLIIl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 a gold-edged border of black octagon-and-square on pale 
 pink, having three white oblong reserves, with foliated 
 ends outlined in blue and gold, containing branches of 
 red peony, fruit, and yellow citron (hand of Buddha). 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 1063, 1064. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. Flow- 
 ered octagon-and-square supporting hexagonal foliated 
 and oblong white reserves enclosing flowers, fruit, and 
 vases in deep colors. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Diameter 25/6 inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 4-H$ inches. 
 
 1065. CUP AND SAUCER. Elaborate floral and 
 geometric design with central octagonal white reserve 
 enclosing flowers and butterflies. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Diameter 2J4 inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 1066. CUP AND SAUCER. Elaborate floral de- 
 sign with central circular and three leaf-shaped white 
 reserves enclosing flowers and fruit. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Diameter 2% inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 1067. CUP AND SAUCER. Geometric design with 
 four borders and a central one enclosing flowers and 
 fruit. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Diameter 2>i inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 45/6 inches. 
 
 1068. CUP AND SAUCER. Two black and yellow 
 
 1 86
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLIII 
 
 cocks in two radiating spaces, the rest peony scroll-work 
 in delicate colors and gold. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cup: Diameter 3^ inches. 
 Saucer: Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 CASE XLIV 
 
 1069. OVOID VASE with short neck and spreading 
 lip. The main decoration of this vase is composed of 
 the pine, bamboo, and prunus Read: Sung chu mei (the 
 three floral friends) penciled in cobalt blue, and sprays 
 of the same flowers appear, painted in green, in the 
 band which decorates the interior of 'the neck. 
 
 Mark: Ch'eng-hua. [1465-1487 apocryphal.] 
 K'ang-hsi (1662-1722). Height 17 inches. 
 
 1070. 1072. TWO OCTAGONAL BEAKERS with 
 rectilinear central band, wide mouths and spreading 
 bases. Covered with ground of red scroll-work on 
 which red peony and chrysanthemum blossoms, with 
 bright green and blue leaves, are arranged between fol- 
 iated sunken panels on the neck and base, in white re- 
 serve enclosing, alternately, landscapes and birds 
 among flowers. The central band has leaf-shaped 
 white reserves containing flowers and landscapes alter- 
 nately. Round the lip and base, and above and below 
 the centre are gold scroll borders separated by a white 
 line and a trellis border in black on pink with red plum 
 blossoms at the divisions. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 19^ inches. 
 
 1071. OCTAGONAL MANDARIN VASE, with pro- 
 jecting rim and cover surmounted by a lion. The 
 ground is a red diaper on which red peonies, with green 
 and greenish-blue leaves and white plum blossoms are 
 
 ,8 7
 
 CASE XLIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 arranged, and is interrupted by eight vertical foliated 
 white intaglio reserves in which are painted, alternately, 
 landscapes and birds among flowers in brilliant colors, 
 heightened with gold. Reserves, alternately leaf- or 
 fruit-shaped, encircle the neck, which, with the lid, is 
 decorated like the body. Round the lip of the vase, 
 and the rim of the lid is a key-pattern in black on blue- 
 green; above this on the lid are black trellis-work bor- 
 ders on blue-green and on blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 26 inches. 
 
 1073. BOTTLE with rudimentary handles. A strik- 
 ing articulated vase of the Ch'ien-lung period, moulded 
 with an outer casing, which is pierced with three open- 
 work panels, so that a floral decoration on the central 
 cylindrical core of the vase may be seen through the 
 piercing. The foot, modelled as part of the piece to 
 allow it to revolve, is glazed coral red underneath; it 
 has four spur marks, but no seal. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 20 inches. 
 
 1074. OVOID VASE with short neck and spread- 
 ing lip. White porcelain decorated with sprays of 
 peony, chrysanthemum, convolvulus, magnolia, and 
 other flowers, with butterflies in enamel colors on rose 
 ground with elaborate scroll-pattern incised -in the 
 paste. There are two large quadrilateral white re- 
 serves with indented corners. One showing Fu Hsing, 
 the god of happiness, standing under a dark green pine- 
 tree, his scarlet robe embroidered with gold bats and 
 nebulae, facing a boy who offers him a pale blue ju-i 
 sceptre. The other shows Shou Lao, the god of longev- 
 ity, dressed in bright rose and dull green, with his staff 
 and a peach, which he offers to a boy in a green coat and 
 red trousers. He also stands under a pine-tree, and 
 a bridge is seen in the distance. On the neck are two 
 foliated white reserves, one showing a boy in blue and 
 
 1 88
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLIV 
 
 red costume on a hillside, his hand extended; the other 
 a figure seated, with a fence in the distance. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 14^ inches. 
 
 1075, 1076. TWO OVIFORM VASES. Decorated 
 with chrysanthemums tinted in enamel colors with 
 cobalt-blue, lemon-yellow, and rose, with dark and 
 yellow-green leaves in reserve on a ground of rose-pink 
 with elaborate scroll-pattern incised in the paste. The 
 neck has an elaborate border of alternate red and white 
 and blue supporting red and white chrysanthemum 
 blooms, with blue-green scroll leaves on the pink in- 
 cised ground. At the base is a broad cartouche border 
 of pale blue with suspended sounding-stones of brilliant 
 blue, blue-green ju-i heads, and red tassels on a lemon- 
 yellow ground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 15 inches. 
 
 1077. CYLINDRICAL VASE with trumpet mouth. 
 Having sixteen vertical convex divisions of cobalt-blue, 
 rose and pale blue covered with alternating scroll-work 
 rice pattern, flowered lozenge-work, and plum blossoms 
 on cracked ice, interrupted by two large, gold-bordered 
 leaf-shaped reserves in white, one showing a lady in 
 green, yellow, and rose costume with a blue sash, stand- 
 ing by a bench on which sits another lady, in blue and 
 yellow; both are regarding a third in pale green and yel- 
 low, who sits in the foreground on a blue and yellow 
 garden-seat, holding a yellow pomegranate (emblem of 
 luck) in her left hand. In the other reserve is a girl in 
 blue and crimson, offering a peony in a bright yellow 
 vase to two ladies in crimson and green, leaning on pale 
 green rocks touched with blue, behind which, and in 
 the foreground, are peonies and a fence, as in the first 
 reserve. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 16 inches.
 
 CASE XLIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 1078. HEXAGONAL PEAR-SHAPED WINE-JUG 
 with lion lid and pyramidal base. White porcelain. 
 Rich decoration in opaque enamels surrounding medal- 
 lions modelled with Shou characters in relief. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height i6>^ inches. 
 
 1079, Io8 - TWO WINE-POTS in the shape of 
 cocks. Richly decorated in opaque enamels. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 6K inches. 
 
 1081, 1082. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. The 
 cups with broad bands of pierced hexagon-work 
 (white on one, on the other yellow), interrupted by 
 three rose-colored circles pierced in double rows of radia- 
 ting lines (red on one, on the other blue), with yellow 
 open diamond centres. Inside the cups are three sprays 
 of red plum on the sides and one in the bottom. The 
 saucers have bands of pierced hexagon-work outside, 
 interrupted by three semicircles, as in the cups. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height 3 inches. Diameter 3^ inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 5^ inches. 
 
 1083, 1084. TWO BOTTLES with convex collars 
 and spreading lips. Cafe-au-lait body with foliated 
 circular reserves, with rose peonies and other flowers in 
 brilliant enamel colors. On shoulder a border divided 
 into eight sections, each with a plum flower on red 
 trellis ground or semi-blossoms on white alternately. 
 The collar is decorated with half prunus flowers of deep 
 cobalt with rose-red centres, alternating with smaller 
 ones of rose-red with scroll leaves. Above and below 
 are white intervals and borders of lotus petals of deep 
 green. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 9 inches. 
 
 1085. PILGRIM BOTTLE. The body and neck 
 covered with chrysanthemums modelled in low relief 
 
 190
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLIV 
 
 in white, leaving a large circular reserve on each side; 
 in one of which two cocks in brilliant red, yellow, blue, 
 green, and black with gold combs and wattles sit on a 
 fence with a background of red peonies, chrysanthe- 
 mums and other brilliant flowers; in the other a pheas- 
 ant in brilliant colors and gold stands on a blue rock 
 behind which spring red peonies and red and white 
 plum. The top is formed as a green lotus bud centred 
 in two circles of red lotus petals. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Height r ]Y 2 inches. Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 1086, 1087. TWO CUPS AND SAUCERS. Each 
 divided into eight waved sections of Y-pattern on pale 
 purple, buff, lilac, white, pink, pale green, salmon-pink, 
 and cucumber-green, with sprays of white magnolia 
 and red peony. In the centre are eight conventional 
 lotus petals enclosed in a gold ring. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height i finches. 
 Saucers: Diameter ^/ 2 inches. 
 
 1088 to 1091. FOUR CUPS AND SAUCERS. In 
 the centre of the saucers, on an elaborate floral ground, 
 in green and gold, is a hexagonal foliated white reserve 
 with fleurs-de-lys at corners, outlined in deep purple, 
 enclosing sprays of red prunus and yellow citron 
 (hand of Buddha), over which hovers a butterfly. 
 Arranged around this are three foliated white reserves 
 with pomegranate and hand of Buddha; alternating 
 with these are three circular white reserves with peonies 
 and leaves in cobalt-blue. The cups are decorated 
 outside with three circular and three foliated reserves, 
 with flowers as on the saucers. The interior of the 
 cups and the backs of the saucers are ruby-colored. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height \$4 inches. 
 Saucers : Diameter 4^ inches. 
 
 191
 
 CASE XLIV] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 1092. PLATE. Two butterflies hover over clusters 
 of rose peonies, yellow chrysanthemums, blue iris, red 
 prunus, and other brilliant flowers in the white centre, 
 which is outlined in black and circled by a border of 
 black trellis-work on pink. On the edge is a broad 
 border of gold chrysanthemums and peonies on a 
 ground of lapis-lazuli blue, with an outer scroll border 
 in black on pale yellow, separated by a black line from 
 the white rim of the plate. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 1093, 1094. TWO PLATES. On a ground of flow- 
 ered octagon-and-square, red peony and chrysanthe- 
 mum and yellowish-white asters, with leaves ranging 
 from yellow to blue-green, surround a citron-shaped 
 white central reserve, in which a greenish-yellow and 
 black cock looks down from a blue rock upon another 
 on the ground below. The border is black-flowered, 
 octagon-and-square under deep rose, with an outer 
 border of black trellis-pattern on pale greenish-blue 
 interrupted by three white reserves containing sprays 
 of flowers. 
 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8>^ inches. 
 
 1095. PLATE. The centre is gold, sprinkled with 
 blossoms and leaves in rich enamel colors, with a leaf- 
 shaped white reserve in which sits a lady dressed in 
 pink, white, pale yellow, and black; on her left a boy 
 in pale cobalt-blue stands on a seat, holding a gold ju-i 
 sceptre. Another boy in pink peeps from behind her 
 at her right. On her left, in the foreground, a rose- 
 colored chair is partly seen, and a jardiniere with yellow 
 interior and gold handles, beyond which a gold ju-i 
 sceptre stands in a large blue vase with white scroll 
 decoration and lion's-head handles. The outside bor- 
 der is a black scroll on pale green. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8 inches. 
 
 192
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLIV 
 
 1096. PLATE. In the centre a black and yellow 
 cock with pink comb and wattles stands on the ground 
 by a pink peony, and looks backward at his fellow 
 perched on a rock of bright cobalt-blue from behind 
 which spring pink and white peonies with bluish-green 
 leaves and yellow and purple asters. The border is 
 flowered octagon-and-square in black on pale blue 
 ground interrupted by three white oblong reserves with 
 foliated ends containing sprays of red peony and chry- 
 santhemum. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 1097 to 1 102. SIX CUPS AND SAUCERS. On 
 outer rim of cups is black Y-pattern, leaving a white 
 undulous foliated border to the space below, where a 
 black and yellow cock with rose-red comb and wattles 
 stoops threateningly from a low blue rock toward an- 
 other who sits on the ground looking backward at him. 
 Red peonies and purple and yellow asters form the 
 background of the picture. 
 
 The saucers have the same motive in a hexagonal 
 foliated undulous reserve in white on a ground of black 
 Y-pattern, encircled by a border of black octagon-and- 
 square on pink, interrupted by white reserves, as in- 
 side the cups. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Cups: Height i^ inches. 
 Saucers: Diameter 5 inches. 
 
 CASE XLIV SECTION B 
 
 1 103, 1104. TWO PLATES. A central white open 
 scroll and four oblong reserves with isolated blossoms 
 on a dark purple ground. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8^ inches. 
 
 193
 
 CASE XLIV-B] THE MORGAN COLLECTION 
 
 1105,1106. TWO OCTAGONAL PLATES. Ladies 
 and children in central circle, and eight oblong reserves 
 on deep rose. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8% inches. 
 
 1107. TALL OVOID VASE with short neck and 
 spreading lip. Peony incised in the paste under a 
 glaze of rich purplish-blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 26 inches. 
 
 1 1 08. PLATE. A lady equestrian attended by a 
 bearded man who leads her horse and a boy who fol- 
 lows carrying a branch of prunus. On the edge, sprays 
 of flowers in gold and deep green. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8y& inches. 
 
 1109. PI T'UNG, or brush receptacle. Beautifully 
 modelled in the forms of bamboo, prunus, and pine 
 'the three friends' and invested with a glaze of pur- 
 plish-blue. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 Diameter 6^ inches. 
 Height 6y inches. 
 
 i no. OVOID VASE. The flower which is asso- 
 ciated with the peony in the graceful floral decoration 
 of this vase is the double peach the prunus blossom- 
 ing sprays are always leafless in Chinese art the birds 
 are the white-headed finches known as pai t'ou weng. 
 There was originally a "mark" underneath, which has 
 been ground away. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Height 16^ inches. 
 
 mi. CUP AND SAUCER. Similar to No. 1068. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). 
 
 194
 
 OF CHINESE PORCELAINS [CASE XLIV-B 
 
 1 1 12. PLATE. White porcelain. In centre and 
 on edge are men wading, and in boats fishing. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8y& inches. 
 
 1113. PLATE. White porcelain. In the central 
 circle an open scroll shows a bird on a branch of red 
 peony. On the edge a border of purple-blue cracked- 
 ice pattern supports isolated white prunus blossoms. 
 Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 7^ inches. 
 
 1 1 14, 1 1 1 5. TWO LARGE FISH-BOWLS (at either 
 end of the gallery.) On one, aquatic plants on a dark, 
 aubergine ground; on the other, imperial five-clawed 
 dragons in yellow on a creamy ground. 
 Chia-ching (1522-1566). Diameter 40 inches.
 
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