THE KEEN-LUNG PERIOD (1736-1795)
During the first seven years of the reign of this Emperor there was
but little variation in the character of the porcelain manufacture at
King-te-chin. In 1743, however, a new director was appointed to the
works--Thang-ing--who continued the high quality of the manufacture
of the two previous reigns, and brought the rose family to the most
perfect state. Indeed, though the European influence exerted by the
Jesuits may possibly have been more powerful than before, yet no
European china quite reaches the glowing brilliance of these Chinese
vases and dishes. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and
Chelsea tried to copy the rose colour, the result being the fine claret
colour of the Chelsea china. Sèvres came nearest with the _Rose du
Barri_, but, after all, the lover of old Oriental porcelain devotes
all his energies to the acquisition of specimens made and decorated in
the old times, imitations perhaps of very early Chinese products, but
perfectly Chinese in instinct and impression.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to separate Keen-lung china from
Yung-ching in unmarked pieces before the full developement of the
"_rose famille_," but the reign of Keen-lung was so much longer
comparatively, and during the period the porcelain manufacture was so
active, that it will be safe to ascribe the fine specimens of this rose
family to it as well as to Yung-ching, when the invention of the rose
enamel took place. In the last reign we considered, but only shortly,
this "_famille rose_." The exquisite delicacy of these specimens lies
in the combination of an elaborate, but refined, style of decoration
in which the painting was most artistic, with the graceful shapes
of the pieces themselves. There are other types, bolder in colour,
broader in execution, and, it may be, equally beautiful. Take, for
example, a vase; its body would be covered with large sprays of
flowers in rose, yellow, and other enamels, but the rose predominates
and gives an effect which is very rich and striking. Chrysanthemums,
peonies, irises or flags, anemones, pumpkin vines with flowers and
fruit--all these were in common use with birds and butterflies, fishes
and insects no less finely coloured, and, as it were, thrown up into
relief by the use of black with that transparent green enamel which we
have before described, and here and there a black spot is applied for
the same purpose of enhancing the value of the coloured enamels. The
porcelain body of the Keen-lung period is very fine and white, many
of the specimens having a style of painting peculiar to the Chinese
artists of this period. Flowers such as those we have mentioned--the
chrysanthemum, peony, and rose--seem to be ribbed, as if when the
enamel was not quite dry a tool was used for the purpose of breaking up
the enamel and in this way getting finer effects from reflected light.
The porcelain itself sometimes assumed a wavy appearance, such as would
be left by the potter's fingers when the piece was turned on the wheel.
A similar wavy appearance is found on characteristic pieces on Bristol
hard paste porcelain when turned upon the wheel.
Amongst the rarest decoration of this class of porcelain in this period
is what is called "_mille fleurs_." In this class the whole surface
is covered with a thousand flowers in variety painted exquisitely in
enamel colours of every conceivable hue. Yet though the colours are so
varied there is nothing but the most pleasing and harmonious effect.
Pale lilac, reds and yellows, alternate with delicate shades of greys
and blues. When the panels are left in reserves, a figure decoration is
freely applied to them, and the figures depicted represent the spirits
of the flowers. On the bases, which are covered with pale sea-green
enamel, are found the square seal marks of the Emperor Keen-lung. It
is scarcely possible to have the privilege of seeing such perfect work
of Ceramic art, but the collection of the late Mr. W. G. Gulland, of
Brunswick Terrace, Hove, was especially rich in "_mille fleurs_" pieces.
The class allied to this, but probably later in date, is "_mille
cerfs_"--that is, a decoration consisting of numberless deer ranging
in a forest. The colour is not nearly as brilliant as in the "_mille
fleurs_" class, though the same wavy porcelain is to be noted. The
green, bluish in tone, like the greens of the Yung-ching period, are
harmonised with browns; in fact, the aubergines merge into sepia
or brown. The hills are green and brown with some hilltops in blue
enamel. The birds are painted quite thinly in rather dull reds. This
glaze could be fairly described as late "_famille verte_." In this
period the Celadons show considerable advance. Celadons were produced
late in the Ming and early Kang-he periods, and cover a range of
tints which are difficult to describe, as we have seen in the case
of peach bloom and "_clair de lune_." The "_sang de bœuf_" is
also difficult to describe, so that a pilgrimage should be made to
any Museum which has a genuine specimen. For instance, in the British
Museum, Oriental Section, in the centre of a large cabinet, there is a
small bottle-shaped vase which is a real "_sang de bœuf_," a glaze of
a brilliant colour shaded towards a deeper claret and the base shading
away into a pale yellow, pink towards the lip, which retains the
soft, natural tone of the body or paste. Then just below the neck the
"_sang de bœuf_" seems to glow with the intensity of the ruby, just
before it falls from the shoulder of the piece towards the base. Other
colours of this period are known as pigeon's blood and chicken's blood,
crimson, crushed strawberry, and so on. To nearly all of these colours
the remarks which apply to the shading of the "_sang de bœuf_" can be
noticed upon the specimens themselves. Here the glaze starts at the top
of the vase or vessel; there is a yellowish tinge, and the colour has
several gradations until it ends at the base. These reds originated
in the late Ming period, reached high excellence under Kang-he, and
continued through Yung-ching's reign, and under Keen-lung maintained
their high perfection.
The Keen-lung red Celadon has a somewhat blue shade when the light is
reflected at an angle. It is well to remember that all those colours
which are called Celadon, or self-coloured, have the tints mixed in
the glaze. Besides the reds, there are blues of many shades, violets,
mauves, &c.--in fact, any colour that could be applied in the glaze
was used as the sole decoration of fine porcelain. It is true that in
many of the fine vases the body is moulded with flowers or dragons or
other patterns, yet the glaze was a whole glaze and therefore Celadon.
Notwithstanding this, the Celadon surface was itself frequently
decorated by designs in enamel colours outlined in black. As we have
before shown, it is easy to know whether a piece is decorated with
Celadon or with enamel, because all enamel colours stand out from the
glazed surface to which it is applied, and by passing the fingers over
the decoration the enamel can be felt. This brings us to certain facts
that must be remembered.
Enamels, like Celadons, may be of any colour. They are always burnt in
so as to amalgamate with the cover glaze, even if that cover glaze be
itself coloured and therefore Celadon. Also there are but a few colours
which can be applied before glazing, that is, upon the paste or body
directly. We have seen that blue and red were so applied. This brings
us to the other development. The Keen-lung class of blue and red under
the glaze was derived from that discovered in the Yung-ching period.
Its application was developed with surprising skill by the finest
workmen, so that the application of copper red under the glaze, in
combination with blue, gave splendid opportunities for these artists
to display their pre-eminent skill for freehand drawing in applying
designs upon the biscuit porcelain before the glazing took place. If,
for example, you pass your hand over a piece decorated under the glaze,
you will find a surface perfectly smooth, the colour has sunk into the
paste.
The next note is worth remembering, because it may be applied as a
practical test to distinguish between the old and the modern blue under
the glaze. This test of modern blue is to be found with the finest
strokes, whereas in the old work each stroke is perfectly smooth or
uniform in its outline, never laboured, never hatched, but simple
strokes which plainly follow the American plan of never taking three
strokes when one stroke will do. Most of the modern work reveals a tiny
blue dot at the pull-off of the fine hair brush or pencil. The drawing
and writing of the Chinese was always done by means of a pencil held
perfectly upright by the fingers, so that by examination of the pencil
marks it is quite easy to see whether the blue lines have inequality,
especially at the point where the brush is removed, and our readers
may detect forgeries of the old marks as well as the old drawings by
noticing this blue dot at the end of the stroke. It is never found upon
an old piece.
The coral red family, which belongs peculiarly to this period, is
extremely pleasing, and a very fine result is secured when used with
blue under the glaze, leaving the design outlined in red, so that
the red, white, and blue harmonise perfectly. But the coral red was
also used under the glaze as a ground colour. Then it was thickly
powdered with white chrysanthemum leaves and flowers, and it had white
reserves often decorated with sprays of conventional white lotus,
chrysanthemums, and magnolia. The Chinese varied the colours in their
decoration with wonderful effect. Blue under the glaze was, as we have
seen, associated with reds under the glaze, but it was quite effective
with enamels over the glaze, and we may take this as the next class of
the period. The design, or any part of it, was applied to the paste,
then the piece was glazed and fired so that on coming from the kiln
it was simply a white porcelain piece having blue, or red and blue,
decoration under the glaze. Then enamel colours were used to complete
the design, such as green enamels with the blue designs showing through
them and thin dull reds under the glaze, as before noted, whilst the
rest of the piece was coated with decoration in yellow, blue, or even
white enamel colours.
Perhaps the most--and here adjectives fail: charming, lovely, famous
are words which arise in the mind--ruby, pink, rose eggshell plates
really should be seen rather than described. These all belong to the
"_famille rose_." But eggshell was not confined to this family. Dated
specimens seem to indicate that the two earlier reigns had seen the
origin and progress of this beautiful ruby porcelain, but there is no
doubt that many of the finest of the marked pieces belonged to the
Keen-lung period, though Yung-ching produced excellent specimens.
Let us give a few examples from the sale-rooms. But first we could
wish that all who will read this chapter could betake themselves to
the Victoria and Albert Museum, to the British Museum, to Duveen's or
Gorer's in Bond Street, and see for themselves what Chinese eggshell
plates really are. The Salting Collection in the Museum at South
Kensington has very fine specimens, and the British Museum has similar
specimens in two flat cases, which, unfortunately, do not allow the
full value of the ruby back to be appreciated. At Duveen's there
are two cases filled with the loveliest specimens ranged before a
looking-glass, which enables the visitor to see both the design on the
front of the plate and the lovely colour at the back.
It is surprising, and yet not astonishing from the point of view of
the collector who will have the best, to notice the prices which have
been paid for these plates, which are quite small, ranging from 7¾
in. to 8½ in. diameter. A few examples will help in enabling us to
estimate their value. One eggshell plate, enamelled with chrysanthemums
and a sparrow, and with sprays of peonies round the border, on pink
diaper-pattern ground, 8 in. in diameter, sold at the sale of Louis
Huth's Collection for £105. The other prices realised at the same
sale are no less striking. Saucer dishes, pair, eggshell, with ruby
backs, enamelled with branches of chrysanthemums and peonies on a white
ground, 8 in. in diameter, sold for £80, but a better pair, enamelled
with cocks and peonies in the centre on white ground, with pale green
trellis border, 7¾ in. in diameter, realised £400. One saucer dish,
enamelled with a pheasant, quail and peonies in the centre, and a
pale green marble border with pink prunus blossom, and three panels
containing flowers, 8 in. in diameter, brought £135. The first and last
of these were not pink-backed, but they were certainly beautiful.
Other eggshell plates at the same sale with ruby backs, which we will
describe shortly, even at the risk of appearing monotonous, were:
one enamelled with ladies and children in the centre, diaper border,
with three panels of flowers, 8¾ in. in diameter, which realised
£150; another, enamelled with quails and chrysanthemums in the centre,
with pink and green diaper borders and three panels of flowers, £155;
another, enamelled with a lady and two children by a table, in a
leaf-shaped panel, on gold ground, with border of various coloured
diapers, 8¼ in. in diameter, £200. Two saucer dishes, enamelled
with peonies and persimmon fruit in the centre, and shaped border of
diaper ground, the border on green ground, with pale pink trellis edge,
7⅝ in. in diameter, £310. A similar pair, but enamelled with ladies
and children and vases in the centre, on a white ground, with pale
green trellis pattern border, and three panels of black, 7¾ in. in
diameter, fetched the same price, £310. The gem of the whole collection
was a plate, finely enamelled with a group of ladies and children,
vases and utensils in the centre, with seven borders of various
diapers and small panel of flowers, 8⅛ in. in diameter, £280.
The plate with the seven borders is the most famous of these eggshell
ruby-back plates. The centre panel or reserve is leaf-shaped, having
in enamel colours, very delicately painted, a lady seated with two
boys; near her is a table on which are books; vases behind her and two
vases on her left. This panel is surrounded by six diaper borders of
various widths, of which the two chief are a deep ruby, interrupted
by four reserves in blue enamel, and the other a pale lilac with four
reserves enclosing flowers. Between reserves are four dragons in
white. The diaper around the leaf is the seventh border. There are
other diaper patterns in the five and four border plates which have
in the leaf-shaped central panel a decoration which is very similar.
Some, however, of these eggshell plates have no diaper work, the
sole decoration consisting of two cocks, beautifully enamelled, near
rocks and foliage. Indeed, these birds are often found in plates with
borders. Similar eggshell plates may have landscapes or flowers as the
central decoration with or without diaper borders. The name ruby back
is given to these plates because the whole of the back, excepting the
centre inside the rim, is enamel with a beautiful ruby tint. Indeed,
we may say that these plates are amongst the very finest creations of
the Yung-ching and Keen-lung periods. To the eggshell china belong the
delicate Mandarin vases which, probably, were made for exportation.
XI
MANDARIN
PORCELAIN