Feb., 1912. Jade. 321 



row of knobs, the ancient "grain" pattern, is laid around the body of 

 the vessel which is 3.2 cm high with a diameter of 6.5 cm. 



As regards technical skill and artistic taste, the incense-burner 

 shown on Plate XLVII takes the first place in our collection. It is a 

 superb work of the Ming period (1 368-1 644), and as all Chinese connois- 

 seurs in Si-ngan fu agree, a unique production and certainly the finest 

 of the kind which ever left that city. It was secured from the piivate 

 collection of a high official in whose family it had been kept through 

 many generations. It is composed of three pieces carved separately, 

 the base, the bowl, and the cover, the three being joined in harmonious 

 proportions. The handles with dragon-heads on the sides and a large 

 peony blossom with leaves in high relief on the top, and the movable 

 rings freely swinging in them are carved with the bowl out of the same 

 living stone. The cover is laid down just over the dragon-heads and 

 forms one piece with the flat dome by which it is surmounted. Base, 

 bowl and lid, even the bottom, are carved throughout in open-work into 

 a continuous leaf and floral design of peonies, apparently the imitation 

 of a textile pattern. 1 The color of jade is light-gray, with a brownish 

 tinge on the dome caused by the fumes from the incense burnt in the 

 bowl, which is 15.4 cm high, with a diameter of 25 cm. 



The large plate shown in Plate XLVII I is carved from Yunnan 

 marble, known as stone of Ta-li fu {Ta-li shih) and is remarkable for its 

 size (41 cm in diameter) as well as for its age. As far as I know, other 

 ancient objects of this material have not been found. The piece in 

 question was excavated in the environment of Si-ngan fu. Only the 

 flaring rim has preserved its original jade-like polish, while it has dis- 

 appeared altogether on the flat bottom where the originally white streaks 

 have assumed underground a dirty-yellow color due to masses of loess 

 falling and pressing on the surface. While it is impossible to fix a 

 certain date for this object, which is void of any ornamentation, it may 

 be generally assumed that it belongs to the Ming period or may even 

 be older. The value of this kind of marble is attributed to its peculiar 

 black stripes and clouds interrupting the white substance. 2 The 

 Chinese are fond of cutting this stone out in slabs, round or square, 

 to be used for screens, or to be inlaid in tables or chairs, and sawing it 

 in such a way that, with some strain of imagination on the part of the 

 intending purchaser, the black masses form veritable scenery with 

 streams, hills and clouds. From this point of view, our plate is carved 



Compare Bushell, Chinese Art, Vol. II, p. 94. The subject of the derivation 

 of patterns on pottery, metal and jade from textiles is deserving of a special mono- 

 graph. 



1 Compare E. Rocher, La province chinoise du Yun-nan, Vol. II, p. 259; F. de 

 MELT, Les lapidaires chinois, p. 6. 



