THE CERAMIC ART IN CHINA. 453 



planatory text. These explanations, with certain amplifications by 

 his Hon, Chou Kiing, constitute the work known as the "Book of 

 Changes" of the Choa dynasty, which, with the commentary added 

 by Confucius, forms the Yih Ching, " the Canon of Changes," the most 

 venerated of the Chinese classics. In this Avork, which serves as a 

 basis for the philosophy of divination and geomancy, and is largely 

 appealed to as containing nob alone the elements of all metaphysical 

 knowledge but also a clue to the secrets of nature and of being the 

 entire system reposed upon these eight diagrams, a ceaseless process 

 of revolution is held to be at work, in the course of which the various 

 elements or properties of nature indicated by the diagrams mutually 

 extinguish and give birth to one another, thus producing the phe- 

 nomena of nature." 



37. Vase of white K'aughsi porcelain, in the shape of a gourd contracted in the middle 



(hu-hii), having a vine trailing over it, from which hang large bunches of 

 grapes on which a squirrel is feeding, in various shades of blue under a trans- 

 parent glaze. Mark, as above. Height, 4^ inches. 



This is a well-known Chinese motive. " The first picture of the squirrel 

 and the vine" (says Anderson, catalogue of Japanese and Chinese 

 paintings in the British Museum, No. 747) ; " appears to have been 

 painted by Wing Yiian-chang, a famous ar'.ist of the Sung dynasty, 

 A. D. 960 to 12.^)9, and has been repeated by innumerable copies in 

 China and Japan." 



38, 39. Plates (a pair) of white K'anghsi, having a large-sized character in center, be- 



lieved to be Thibetan, surrounded on the sides by three concentric lines of 

 smaller characters of similar type ; on outside are three similar lines of char- 

 acters in deep blue under transparent glaze. Mark, as above. Diameter, 5| 

 inches, 

 40,41. .Bm<;Zs (a pair) of thin white K'anghsi poi-celain. Ornamentation on outside 

 consists of a delicately-drawn band of waves on lower portion where bowl 

 springs from foot, with the pa-kua or eight diagrams (see No. .36) above. In- 

 side, within double circle, at bottom, the yin and yang, all in deep blue 

 under transparent glaze. Mark, as above. Height, 2f inches ; diameter, 4f 

 inches. 



The circle represents the ultimate principle of " being," which is divided 

 by a curving line into two equal portions, the positive and negative 

 essences, yang and yin, respectively. Yaiig, the more lightly colored 

 portion, corresponds to light, heaven, masculinity, etc.; yin, the more 

 darkly colored, to darkness, earth, femininity, etc. To the introduc- 

 tion of these two essences are due all the phenomena of nature. 

 42, 43. Boivls (a pair), small, everted, of white K'anghsi porcelain, jilain inside. 

 Decorated on outside with iris, grasses, longevity fungus {ling chih, a species 

 of (?) polyporus), tea-roses, and other flowers delicately painted in enamel 

 colors upon a brick-red or vermilion ground. Mark, K^atig-hsi-zii-chih, " Made 

 by special order of Emperor K'anghsi." Height, 2i inches; diameter, 4| 

 inches. 

 44, 45. Plates (a pair) of white K'aughsi porcelain, having a "sitting" Imperial five- 

 clawed dragon on center, and similar flying dragons (see No. 4) amid clouds 

 around the shelving side. Engraved in the paste under a thick deep-blue glaze 

 (Men de roi) which covers the entire plate inside and out, except the foot, on 

 which appears within a double circle Ta-ch'ing K.'ang-hsi-nien-chili, "Made 

 during the K'anghsi period of the Great Pure (the present) dynasty." Diam- 

 eter, 9^ inches. 



Mayers: Op. cit., p. 333, 



