CHINA
chou porcelain of the Northern Sung dynasty, and this bottle, in its paste and form, in the colour of the glaze, and in the engraved design, is altogether like a Ting piece." The Tao-lu also gives the following particulars about the Yuan dynasty Shu-fu-yao:—"So soon as an order reached the factory, steps were immediately taken to execute it. The clay used had to be fine, white, and plastic. It was preferred that these vases should have little thickness. The majority of them had a small base and moulded flowers. Some also were ornamented with gold and had flowers in relief (of glazing material). The vases with large bases were uniform and brilliant. In the interior of these vases the words Shu-fu were marked. Imitations of them were made by private potters, but inasmuch as when there was question of vases destined to be presented to the emperor, only ten were chosen out of every hundred, it will be seen that humble private manufacturers could not attain the necessary perfection."
It will further be remembered that during this dynasty Lung-chuan céladons continued to be manufactured at Liu-tien. Summing up the keramic products of the time, they are Lung-chuan and Ching-tê-chên céladons (the latter differing from the former in quality of pâte and delicacy of colour); white soft-paste ware of Ching-tê-chên, and finally the remarkable Yuan-tsü with its clair-de-lune body-glaze and blood-red marking. Under the same dynasty porcelain decorated with blue under the glaze was also manufactured, but it will be more convenient to speak of this later on, as well as of another product, then in its elementary stage, porcelain or stone-ware with enamel decoration over the glaze.
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