Page:Brinkley - China - Volume 1.djvu/389

the lad Sü. In the course of conversation, the father asked Ta-pin to mould an ox, but Ta-pin hesitated to comply, and laid aside the clay which had been offered to him. The lad Sü, taking this clay, went out of the house, and as chance willed, the first thing he saw was an ox in the act of rising from the place where he had been sleeping under a tree. One of the animal's legs was still bent, andSü, watching it attentively, conceived the idea of reproducing its attitude in the clay which he carried. Returning to the potter's house, he showed the piece to Ta-pin, who said, with evident surprise:—"A man of your genius would soon surpass me in my own art." Thenceforth Sü applied himself to pottery. He struck out a style of his own, and varied the composition of his pâtes at will, so as to produce all sorts of charming colours. He made special study of the choice works of ancient keramists, took all sorts of objects for models, and manufactured many varieties of colour. But despite the celebrity which he attained, he used often to say with regret that his best work did not equal the inferior work of Shi Ta-pin. He had a son who also developed great skill as a potter, and to this day the names of Ta-Sü (the elder Sü) and Siao-Sü (the younger Sü) are preserved, though the exact name of the latter is not known. Shi Ta-pin had four other pupils, namely; Ngeu Ching-chun, who excelled in copying flowers and fruits, his execution being fine and delicate; Shao Wan-kin, who followed his teacher's methods exactly; Shao Wan-yin, and Tsiang Poh-Kwa. The last was a man of noble birth, and being averse to associate his family name with the occupation of potting, he used to write his signature with the ideograph Kwa instead of fu, which was his proper signature. His productions showed great force, as well as delicacy of execution.

Chan Yun-hiang was contemporary with another potter, Shi Ying, but was younger and less skilled. He was a proud, lawless person, and ultimately falling into trouble with the authorities, was imprisoned. Hence the common people were wont to speak of him as "Chan the fool." His dexterity as a potter was, however, remarkable. His forte lay in the direction of minute work, and the accurate shapes of his hand-made pieces excited admiration. In inscribing