CERAMIC ART IN CHINA. 383 



80. T''(.sr of white K'anghsi porcelain; shape, slender po^'c/*^. The ornamentation in 



chief seems to (lej)ict a young officer leaving his post after a virtuous tenure 

 of office, which has won for him not only promotion from the Emperor tjut 

 also the love of the people he has ruled over. A young man dressed in pink 

 is represented riding a piebald horse. (In the time of K'anghsi the Man- 

 chu officers despised and ridiculed Chinese luxury and ceremony, and with 

 them the sedan chairs they have in later days adojjted, with almost all else 

 that is Chinese, from the ccmquered nation; and rode on horseback with l)ut 

 few attendants.) Over him an attendant is Iiolding an official umbrella, 

 which from its three flowers of different colors would appear to be a nxut- 

 viin<j-mi), or "umbrella of ten tiiousand names," an offering made to a vir- 

 tuous and upright officer on his departure from his post by a grateful people, 

 and so called from the fact that it bears upon it the names of the donors 

 either embroidered or in black velvet applMjue. He is preceded by men 

 bearing lanterns and followed by an attendant carrying a scroll wrapped in 

 imperial yellow silk, indicative of a communication from the throne. Round 

 the part where the vase diminishes in size runs a band of floral pattern on a 

 pink ground interrupted )iy panels containing grotesque representations of 

 dragons, the whole bounded on either side by bands of a geometric pattern 

 inblue — all painted seemingly above the glaze. Nomark. Height, 10| inches. 



81. ]'(iKe of pure white K'anghsi porcelain, tall, the body bellying out from the foot 



and then gradually tapering upward. On one side is a character shou (lon- 

 gevity), on the other the character/*' (happiness) in a diaper pattern in 

 black upon a dark enamel green. In tlie center of each of these characters 

 is a medallion about 4 inches in diameter, containing mythological repre- 

 sentations appropriate to the character in which it is placed. On the for- 

 mer is the Crenius of Longevity (as Lao Tze, see No. 54) riding a white 

 stork into the midst of the Immortals. On the latter Tung Wang Kung, the 

 consort of the Queen of the Fairies (see No. 28), is handing a babj' the elixir 

 of life, while another of the sages stands by holding the ju-i. Where the 

 body of the vase springs from the foot is a band of formal geometric pattern 

 and round the rim is a border of flowers on dark grey ground interrupted by 

 white {)anels inclosing flowers, the whole supported by a narrow band of geo- 

 metrical design. A beautiful specimen of K 'anghsi ware. Height, 16^ inches. 

 The ju-i is a curved baton, generally carved in jade or some other valu- 

 able material. It is probably of Buddhistic origin, as it is one of 

 the seven precious things (Sansk. Sapta RdtiKi) and appears in 

 Buddhist pictures in the hands of priests of high rank. It is also 

 regarded as a symbol of the power of the faith. In China it is com- 

 monly considered an emblem of good luck, its name signifying 

 "(May all be) as you wish," and is therefore frequently used as a 

 present to friends or at a wedding. It is also a sign of authority, 

 owing to the fact that it is believed to have been used in India as a 

 scepter. (See Plate 3. ) 



82. Vfise of j)ure white K'anghsi porcelain, tall, circular in shape, the outline rising 



• Most perpendicularly, but with a slight slojjc outward, then contracting 

 gracefully to neck, which everts at brim. A child holding in his hand a 

 pink lotus flower {Nelumbium speciosum) is being presented to a tall Rishi 

 (? Lao Tze) standing, dressed in embroidered robes of pink, with Tung 

 Wang Kung (see No. 28) dressed in robes of yellow and blue and holding in 

 his hand the peach of the Genii. On neck are sprays of bamboo and the 

 fungus {li7ig chih) of the Immortals. A beautiful specimen of K'anghsi ware. 

 The figures are large, Lao Tze being 8 inches in, height, and painted with con- 

 siderable force and attention to detail. Height, 171 inches. (See l^late 4. ) 



