EARLY WARES OF CHINA
Chapter II
EARLY WARES OF CHINA.
In the following remarks the term "early" is applied to all ware manufactured prior to the Sung dynasty (960-1279).
It is recorded that under the Wei dynasty (220-265 A.D.) keramic ware for the use of the Imperial Palace was supplied by two factories, but no tradition exists as to the nature of the manufactures. Under the next dynasty (the Tsin 265-419) it is stated that a ware called Tung-ngeu-tao was produced in the littoral province now named Chêkiang, at Wen-chou-fu. It was green in colour, and much esteemed for the brilliancy of its glaze. A treatise on tea says that the best known vessels of this ware were shallow, with straight rims and spreading bases. The greatest capacity of the vessels is also mentioned: according to M. Julien's calculation it was from 45⁄100 to 6⁄10 of a litre. The ware was probably green stoneware of comparatively crude technique.
In the Sui dynasty (581-618), tradition speaks of a species of green ware called Liu-tsu. It was the work of an expert named Ho Chou, or Ho Kuei-lin, President of the Board of Works in the beginning of the seventh century and an antiquarian of established reputation. Ho's object was to imitate a sort of opaque glass (Liu-li), the secret of manufacturing
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