EARLY WARES OF CHINA
of the seventh century, and that his chef d'œuvre was green stone-ware, or céladon, intended to imitate jade.
At or about the time (615 circa) when Tao Yü flourished in Kiang-si, an artist by name Ho Chungchu was working with success at the same factories. His ware—known as Ho-yao—was intended to imitate white jade. It is said to have been made of fine clay, to have been comparatively thin, and to have rivalled its original in softness and lustre. Beyond this there is no record of its qualities. Probably it was stone-ware with fairly manipulated pâte, but depending chiefly on the brilliancy and solidity of its glaze. It attracted so much attention that an order was issued for the supply of certain quantities to the Palace.
Coming now to the Tang dynasty (618-907), the first keramic production of note is the Sheu-yao, a yellowish ware of inferior quality. Japanese traditions describe this as stone-ware of crude technique and inartistic appearance. Its place of manufacture was Sheu-chou in the province of Kiang-nan. A still more meritless ware, which may be passed over without further mention, is ascribed to the neighbouring province of Kiang-si.
During the same dynasty there was manufactured in the province of Chêkiang—which borders Kiangnan and Kiang-si on the east—the Yueh-yao. This is somewhat enthusiastically mentioned. Two varieties are spoken of; the one resembling jade; the other, ice. The colour of the former was green; that of the latter, greenish white. Tradition assigns to the Yueh-yao, the first place among keramic productions of the Tang dynasty. Similar but inferior to the second variety of it was the Hing-yao, manu-
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