THE CEEAMIC ART IN CHINA. 409 



tically was) the almost exclusive prodactiou of the literary or official 

 class. Hence when, during the Ch'eughua period, the decoration of 

 porcelain in many colors came to be that most highy prized, it becatne 

 customary to have the designs drawn by the most celebrated artists 

 among the palace officials and to transmit them to the manufactory to 

 be there executed by the most skilled painters. 



Owing to the care thus exercised in obtaining decorative designs from 

 the brushes of the best artists and in having them executed by the most 

 able workmen, the manufacture reached a higher point of excellence 

 during this (the Ch'enghua) period than at any other time during the 

 Ming dynasty, and the steps of development which led to this result 

 may be distinctly traced. 



As has been remarked earlier, decoration by painting in colors as dis- 

 tinct from the general coloring imparted by glaze is, I believe, first 

 reached under the Ming dynasty. In the Yunglo period (1403 to 1424) 

 it took the form of decoration in blue under the glaze. Special atten- 

 tion was paid to this style during the Hsiiante i)eriod (1426 to 1435), 

 and owing probably to the adoption of a special kind of foreign blue 

 (known in Chinese as Su-ni-po, which appears to have been obtainable 

 during this period alone), a brilliancy of color was attained which was 

 never afterwards quite equaled. At the same time, however, a brilliant 

 red color attracted universal admiration. At first this was used by itself 

 either as a uniform coloring over the outside of bowls and cups, or for 

 the delineation of fishes or peaches upon the white ground, the contrast 

 of the two colors, both striking in brilliancy, being highly admired. 

 Then a form was adopted which, while it gave due prominence to the 

 highly prized crimson, admitted of the introduction of other colors in 

 a subordinate capacity, such as vessels in the shape of persimmons 

 {Diospyros lioki) on a leafy branch forming the handle, the fruit being 

 red, and the leaves and stalk of their natural colors, green of various 

 shades and brown respectively. From this form of decoration it required 

 but a step to reach the use of the enamel colors for which the Ch'enghua 

 period (1465 to 1487) is famous. 



The use of enamel colors continued during the Hungchih period 

 (1488 to 1505), some of the specimens being scarcely inferior to 

 the best pieces of Ch'enghua ware, but gradually gave way in public 

 favor to a pale yellow glaze covering an ornamentation engraved in the 

 paste. This was also the most highly esteemed production of the 

 Ch'engte period (1506 to 1521) : though the efforts to obtain further 

 supplies of blue from the west being crowned with success, a revival 

 in favor of "blue and white" china took place during this and 

 especially the following reign till the supply was once more exhausted. 



Peculation, misgoveriiment and its attendant disorders and an in- 

 creasing difficulty in finding the finer qualities of clay combined to cause 

 a steady decline from this period onwards in the artistic excellence of 

 the porcelain produced. The rapidity of the downward course was con- 



