THE CERAMIC ART IN CHINA. 437 



SHAPINa THE PASTE. 



In China tlie paste is roughly shaped, is turned, and is molded when 

 in a malleable state, in much the same manner as in Europe. Casting 

 or moulagc en barhotine appears to be unknown in China. The ab- 

 sence of this process, which has enabled European artists to produce 

 such grand results, only increases our admiration of the manual dex- 

 terity which has enabled the Chinese to manufacture such numbers of 

 jars of large dimension and cups so thin, as egg-shell porcelain, which 

 can now, or could at least when M. Salvetat wrote, only be produced 

 at Sevres by casting. The sculpture, the hollowing out, the shaping, 

 etc., are practised also in China in much the same manner as in Europe. 

 Among the happiest effects produced in this line are engraving in the 

 paste, sculpture in relief on the paste, and the open work which the 

 French term pieces reticulees. 



One peculiarity of the Chinese system is the method of completing 

 the foot in the unbaked state and after being covered with glaze. This 

 custom of laying on the glaze before the article has been completed, 

 the method in which the glaze is applied, and the composition of the 

 glaze present, perhaps, the greatest contrasts with the corresponding 

 manipulations employed in Europe. It is certainly curious that the Chi- 

 nese after a practical experience extending through so many centuries, 

 should be ignorant of the advantages to be derived from submitting 

 the article to a slight baking before apjDlying the glaze, which is then 

 in a condition termed by the French Vetat degourdi. Porcelain earth, 

 like other clays, is dilutable by water, but it ceases to be so after ex- 

 posure to a temperature which makes it red. On this property is based 

 in Europe an expeditious and easy method of covering porcelain 

 with glaze. The porcelain having been rendered indissoluble and 

 absorbent by a preliminary slight baking, it may be covered with a 

 uniform layer of suitable thickness by a simple immersion in water 

 holding the finely crushed material in suspension, provided that the 

 proportions of water and glaze (relatively to the thickness of the ves- 

 sel to be covered) have been duly determined. The failure to em- 

 ploy this process is the more curious since, from Mr. Hoffman's 

 sketch of the Japanese system of manufacture appended to M. Julien's 

 work, it appears that in that country the glaze is applied to porcelain 

 after preliminary baking. 



GLAZE. 



In Europe porcelain glaze is generally composed of pure pegmatite, 

 finely crushed and applied by immersion after a preliminary baking. 

 In Germany other substances, such as kaolin or paste, have been added 

 to diminish its fusibility ; but at Sevres pegmatite from Saint Yrieix is 

 alone used. The addition of lime in forming the glaze is a rare excep- 

 tion in Europe. In China, on the contrary, pure petrosilix is but very 



