Page:Brinkley - China - Volume 1.djvu/322

the Chi-hung monochromes of the Ming dynasty included two equally beautiful and admirable glazes, rouge vif and ruby-red. But, curiously enough, from the commencement of the Kang-hsi era the term Chi-hung came to be applied to reds in general, exclusive of varieties distinguished by special names, as the Lang-yao. Many Chi-hung pieces of the Tsing dynasty are highly attractive and charming, and their reproduction seems to be as far beyond the strength of modern potters as is the imitation of the Lang-yao. But Chinese connoisseurs place this later Chi-hung in a distinctly lower rank, and they are undoubtedly right in doing so. For the Chi-hung glaze of the Tsing factories cannot vie either with the Lang-yao in richness or brilliancy, or with other monochromes, to be presently mentioned, in delicacy and purity. In fact the distinguishing feature of the Chi-hung, as compared with the Lang-yao, is a certain duskiness or muddiness of tone: the colour, though often very beautiful and esthetic, lacks the depth and gleam of Sang de bœuf. It should be premised, however, that in the Chi-hung also there are many grades, and that, like the Lang-yao, no two specimens are absolutely identical in tone. The typical Chi-hung of the Chien-lung era—for it does not appear to have been much manufactured by the Kang-hsi experts—is dark red of subdued shade, the tone quite uniform throughout, but the whole surface microscopically dappled, showing that the colour was applied by insufflation. The pâte is close and fine, the edges are well finished, and the inner and under surfaces are coated with white glaze. There is no crackle anywhere, and a year-mark in seal character is often found in blue under the glaze. Porcelain of this quality was evidently