THE CERAMIC ART IN CHINA. . 419 



famille verte; aud to this i)eriod belongs, in part, much of the ware 

 so decorated, which is usually ascribed to the earlier dynasty and is 

 considered a characteristic Ming porcelain. To the colors applied 

 under the glaze was now added a blue above glaze, which does not 

 seem to have been known under the Mings. During the later years of 

 this reign, however, green gave way to red as the predominating 

 color, and a style of decoration was adopted which has been classed by 

 M. Jacquemart and subsequent writers under the title of la famille rose. 

 It is easily distinguished by its half tints and broken colors, having 

 for decorative basis a carmine red lowered to pale rose, and obtained 

 from gold, which is called in Europe purple of Cassius. The addition 

 to their palette of this color, of yellow derived from antimony and of 

 white from arsenical acid, enabled Chinese artists to considerably in- 

 crease the variety and beauty of their decorations. A director of the 

 government factories named Ts'aug Ying-bsiian, is mentioned by 

 Chinese writers as having about this time gained considerable dis- 

 tinction by his productions, which were of thin porcelain, covered with 

 a brilliant, and, in the most highly valued specimens monochrome, glaze. 

 The colors are stated to have been "snake-skin green," "mud-eel 

 yellow," blue, and dappled yellow. Other, but less esteemed, colors 

 were pale yellow, pale violet, pale green, and blue or red, both souffle. 



From 1723 to 1796. 



Shortly after the accession of Yungcheng, Nien Hsi-yao was, in 1727, 

 entrusted with the direction of the imperial manufactories. He per- 

 sonally selected the materials and superintended the execution of the 

 emperor's orders. All the articles made by him — which are known as 

 Nieu liorcelain, nien yao, were graceful in form and of fine workman- 

 ship. They were chiefly monochrome in color, blue, bright and carmine 

 reds, celadons, and "of egg-color as bright as silver," but some were 

 ornamented with painted flowers, either incised or plain. Some of the 

 monochrome vases, dating from this or a slightly later period, have 

 lately obtained an extraordinary vogue among the foreign collectors, 

 and bring prices ridiculously above any value to which they could 

 justly lay claim on the score of either rarity, color or workmanship. 

 A small vase only 8 inches high, of a dull white-pink shade upon an 

 underground of pale sea-green, which has been dignified by the name 

 of "peach-blow" (in some specimens this underground forces itself into 

 notice in the form of splotches on the pink), was offered to the writer 

 in Peking for less than $200 gold, and, having been purchased by a 

 foreign dealer, was eventually sold in Kew York for $15,000. With 

 Nien Hsi-yao was associated in the management a year later a Man- 

 chu officer in the lord chamberlain's oflice named T'angyiug, who 

 fifteen years later succeeded to the sole direction. Possessing an inti- 

 mate knowledge of the different varieties of clay and of the effects of the 

 tire upon them and on colors, he exercised the greatest care in the 



