CERAMIC ART IN CHINA. 365 



thick jis to stand out al)OAV the general level of the surface: others, 

 such as the reds derived from iron and the blacks, are much thinner, and 

 are almost always quite dull or only slig-htly glazed when thin. The 

 style of painting- in Chinese ditiers entirely from the European, In 

 the majority of the specimens the forms and flesh are not modeled; 

 strokes of black or red define the outlines; the tones do not shade; 

 the colors are laid in flat tints on which a damask is sometimes drawn 

 afterwards, either in the same or in difl:'erent colors, biitthe mixture on 

 the palette of dift'erent crushed colors, which permits of so much variety 

 in European painting, appears not to be practiced l)y them. Their 

 colors (as indeed seemed probable from the lightness of the shades 

 obtained, in spite of their thickness before analysis had confirmed the 

 presumption) contained far less coloring matter than do the European, 

 a peculiarity which makes them approach nearer to the vitrified sub- 

 stances known as enamel than to any other. They are characterized 

 by great simplicity and a considerable degree of uniformity. 



The flux, which is not distinct in color, is always composed of silica, of 

 oxide of lead in but slightly varying proportions, and of a larger or 

 smaller quantit}' of alkalies (soda and potash). This flux contains in 

 dissolution, in the conditions of silicates, some hundredths parts onh" 

 of coloring oxides. The number of these is very small, being oxide 

 of copper for greens and bluish-greens, gold for the reds, oxide of 

 cobalt for the blues, oxide of antimony for the yellows, and arsenical 

 acid and stannic acid for whites. Oxides of iron to produce red and 

 oxides of impure manganese to produce black are not used, because 

 no dou))t these colors can not be obtained from the oxides named by 

 means of dissolution. 



In Europe, in addition to the oxides already mentioned, important 

 results are obtained from substances unknown in China. The shade 

 derived from pure oxide of cobalt is modified by mixing with it oxide 

 of zinc or alumina, and sometimes alumina and oxide of chromium; 

 pure oxide of iron gives a dozen reds, shading from orange-red to very 

 dark violet; ochers, pale or dark, yellow or brown, are obtained ])y the 

 combination in dift'erent proportions of oxide of iron, of oxide of zinc, 

 and of oxide of cobalt or nickel; browns are produced by increasing the 

 amount of oxide of cobalt contained in, and blacks b}' omitting the oxide 

 of zinc from, the composition which gives the ochers. The shades of 

 yellow are varied by the addition of oxide of zinc or of tin to render them 

 lighter, and of oxide of iron to render them darker. Oxide of chro- 

 mttim, pure or mixed with oxide of cobalt or with oxides of cobalt 

 and of zinc, gives 3'ellow-greens and bluish-greens, which may be made 

 to var}' from pure green to almost pure blue. Metallic gold supplies 

 the purple of Cassius, which maybe changed at will into violet, purple, 

 or carmine. Other useful colors are obtained from oxide of uranium 

 andlFroiu chromate of iron, of barium, and of cadmium. 



In European colors all these coloring matters are merely mixed. In 



