CHINESE IDEAS OF ANTIQUES 55' 



article it is soft like soap stone (J9 !£ S) while the fraudulent 

 imitation is hard to the very core, and its imitation skin 

 peels off when the knife is applied to it. 



The ancient coarse baize, or grey coloured copper wares 

 usually have small pure green spots on their surface. If 

 these have been artificially produced after exhumation by 

 soaking in vinegar or salt water, the spots do not penetrate 

 to the core of the article but are merely dotted over trie- 

 surface . 



If the surface of this latter class of antiques is shaded 

 with cloud-coloured shadows, hemp seed indentations, red 

 sand granules, cerulean rain spots, or snow freckles, then it 

 may be safely concluded that this particular article has not 

 been excavated from the earth, but has been transmitted 

 from one generation to another down through the ages, and 

 no period short of from three to five thousand years is 

 sufficient to produce the peculiarities just enumerated. 

 The presence of red sand granules on a copper ware does 

 not, however, wholly or finally decide whether the article 

 dates from the " San Tai " period, because wares manufac- 

 tured during the Sung (3c) and Yuen (7c) dynasty periods are 

 also similarly marked with large red granules. Some of these 

 granular markings are somewhat like minnows, and are 

 caused by the stains of human blood. These granuliferous 

 markings are also sometimes laminiferous and the laminae 

 may even be two or three layers in thickness. If these 

 peculiar markings penetrate to the very core of the copper 

 ware, then, it safely may be asserted that the article is of 

 genuine antiquity, for no matter whether the article is 

 scraped, scrubbed, scratched or polished, the peculiar marks 

 of genuineness cannot be erased. 



The copper wares of the "San Tai" period consisted 

 chiefly of bells and caldrons, the largest of which could be 

 put into a bushel or in some cases even a pint measure. 



It has been stated that the Shang (Hi) dynasty wares 

 were plain, and that the Chow (J9) dynasty wares were chased. 

 Still it can safely be said that the plain wares were chased, 

 and the chased wares plain, because the plain wares were 

 made according to fixed dimensions, and defined models, 

 and also bore the maker's name and date of production. 

 The workmanship was skilled, the patterns clear and 

 refined, which no chasing could surpass in elegance. As to 

 the chased wares of the Cheo Dynasty the chasing and 

 11 Seal writing " are undoubtedly of a delicate and exquisite 

 character, the style of writing easy and free : the filling in, 

 and inlaying work cleverly done, but the whole was never- 

 theless substantial and plain. The Hsia (JC) dynasty wares 



