86 



ANCIENT ENAMELS. 



Chap. V. 



The self-coloured specimens, such as pure whites, 

 creams, crimsons, reds, blues, greens, and violets, 

 are very fine, and much prized by Chinese col- 

 lectors. Some exquisite bits of colouring amongst 

 this class may be met with sometimes in their 

 cabinets, and also in old curiosity shops. I pur- 

 chased a vase in Canton about fourteen inches 

 high, coloured with the richest red I had ever 

 seen. I doubt much if all the art of Europe could 

 produce such a specimen in the present day, and, 

 strange though it may appear, it could certainly 

 not be produced in China. 



But the most ancient examples of porcelain, 

 according to the testimony of Chinese collectors, 

 are in the form of circular dishes with upright 

 sides, very thick, strong, and heavy, and invariably 

 have the marks of one, two, or three, on the 

 bottom, written in this form, Ih III- The colours 

 of some of these rare specimens, which have come 

 under my observation, vary ; but the kinds most 

 highly prized have a brownish-yellow ground, 

 over which is thrown a light shot sky-blue, with 

 here and there a dash of blood-red. The Chinese 

 tell us there are but a few of these specimens in 

 the country, and that they are more than a thou- 

 sand years old. A specimen shown me by a 

 Chinese merchant in Canton was valued at three 

 hundred dollars ! In endeavouring to make a 

 dealer lower his price for one in Shanghae, he 

 quietly put it away, telling me at the same time 

 that I evidently did not understand the value of 



