90 



NA rURE 



[July 21, 1923 



Emperors held sway over the larger part of eastern 

 and central Asia is worthy of its great subject ; and 

 one could not award it higher praise. The position of 

 Chinese porcelain is so commanding in the history of 

 man's art and craftsmanship, and its example and 

 influence have proved so dominant in Europe, as well 

 as in the Far East, that so comprehensive and reasoned 

 a survey of its development will prove of signal interest 

 to all lovers of fine and noble porcelains ; whether their 

 predominant interest is centred in the wares of Asia 

 or in those, of later date, that have been made in 

 Europe. Only an untiring student and scholar, who has 

 charge of a famous collection such as that in the British 

 Museum, and who has worked, there and elsewhere, at 

 the subject in all its aspects, could have produced a 

 volume of such sterling worth. All available sources of 

 information have been utilised — the accounts of early 

 European travellers are drawn upon equally with the 

 latest records of exploration and research — so that 

 we are here presented with as trustworthy an exposition 

 of the subject as we are likely to obtain, and one which 

 might well serve as a model for later workers in 

 similar fields. 



It is refreshing and gratifying to find such an authority 

 as Mr. Hobson dealing so outspokenly with some of 

 the common misconceptions cherished by many 

 dealers and collectors. " Misconceptions about Ming 

 are so many, and the word has been so frequently 

 abused, that it will be well to devote a little destructive 

 criticism to the things which are not Ming, but too 

 often masquerade as such. . . . Ming is not a home 

 for stray pots, in which every mongrel piece, which 

 has no fixed attribution, can find a refuge. . . . Not 

 long ago all glazed pottery figures were called Ming 

 as a matter of course. No self-respecting merchant 

 would have thought of stocking anything later in that 

 line of goods, . . . etc." These are but two examples 

 of many that might be cited where Mr. Hobson, as 

 befits his position, has performed a real service to 

 students and collectors alike ; but many such illumin- 

 ating dicta occur throughout the work, and it is encour- 

 aging to find valuable advice and information conveyed 

 in such an authoritative and unhesitating a fashion. 



Two special chapters are devoted to a consideration 

 of Ming technical methods, and they have been com- 

 piled in such a way as to provide a sound and trustworthy 

 foundation on which the collector may base his own 

 knowledge. In addition to a clear and succinct account 

 of the raw materials used in the body and glazes 

 and the regions whence they were obtained, there is 

 a description of how the more important varieties of 

 porcelain were fashioned, finished, painted, and fired. 

 The subdivision of labour " which effectually obliterated 

 the indi\iduality of the decorators " is explained, as 



NO. 2803, VOL. I 12] 



well as the fact that the painted designs were mostlj 

 based on well-known paintings and on such standar 

 patterns as those used in silk-brocades. These hac 

 been filtered through the hands of the Palace artists, 

 whose designs were sent to Ching-t§ Ch6n to be copied 

 on the ware by the porcelain decorators. 



As an example of concise statement it would be 

 difficult to surpass Mr. Hobson's account of the method 

 by which gold was applied to the Ming porcelains. 

 " Gilding was used from the earliest reigns of the Ming. 

 It was the last operation in the manufacture and always 

 required a separate firing at a low temperature. Thus 

 one of the red bowls described will be fired first in the 

 full heat to take the body and glaze and develop the 

 underglaze blue inside the bowl, then it would have 

 the outside covered with red enamel which had to be 

 fixed in the muffle stove ; and finally the gilt floral 

 pattern would be painted over this red and fixed by 

 another visit to the mufifle. In several cases the gilding 

 on these red bowls is applied in the form of gold leaf, 

 while in others it was evidently painted on with a 

 brush." 



Space will not permit me to dwell further on the 

 merits of the work, but attention must be directed to 

 the excellence of the numerous illustrations and the 

 selective skill with which objects have been chosen 

 to cover, adequately, such an extensive field. The 

 coloured plates are of remarkable excellence ; the 

 subtlety of the Chia Ching bowl decorated with enamel 

 colours (plate 7) being as perfectly suggested as is 

 the precision of the design of an earlier type, in a 

 more conventional style, which appears as the frontis- 

 piece. The half-tone plates are equally successful, and 

 as the objects chosen are often of extreme beauty, they 

 undoubtedly add to the value and distinction of the 

 book. William Burton. 



Maps and Survey. 

 Maps and Survey. By Arthur R. Hinks. Second 

 edition. Pp. xvi + 258 -I- 26 plates. (Cambridge : 

 At the University Press, 1923.) 125. 6d. net. 

 •^T^HIS new and enlarged edition of Mr. Hinks's 

 X book is heartily to be welcomed, for it forms an 

 admirable introduction to the whole subject of map- 

 making, both in the field and in the office. Indeed, in 

 some respects, it is more than an introduction, for such 

 chapters as " Maps and Survey in War" and " New 

 Methods of Survey" can be read with advantage 

 even by those experienced in the construction of maps. 

 An excellent feature of the book is its wide outlook ; 

 thus examples are given of methods of work and of 

 instruments used, in the United States, in France, in 

 India, and in the British Protectorates and Colonies, 



