Page:Brinkley - China - Volume 1.djvu/196

 When speaking of the choicest wares of the Ming dynasty, allusion was made to decoration with red sous couverte, the most celebrated examples of which were the Hung-yu-pa-pei, or "red-fish-stemmed cups" of the Hsuan-tê era, and it was there stated that without doubt the same style of decoration continued to be produced equally skilfully on porcelains of later dates. In all ages connoisseurs have had their special favourites. It is easy to find Chinese dilettanti who still maintain that nothing comparable with the Hung-yu-pa-pei in brilliancy and depth of red and snow-like purity of white, ever emanated from any workshop after the Hsuan-tê era. But unless that preference be based on points not perceptible to every-day eyes, it may safely be said that the experts of Kang-hsi, Yung-ching and Chien-lung did not fall behind those of Hsuan-tê in this branch. They—that is to say, the potters of the golden age of the Tsing dynasty—called red sous couverte Yu-li-hung a term intended to convey the idea of red seen floating in a limpid medium. They employed the same colouring matter—silicate of copper—as that used by their Ming predecessors, and they applied it much in the same manner as that followed in painting with cobaltiferous manganese. The temperature of development in the kiln was also the same in the case of blue and red, as is proved by the fact that they are found occurring together in perfect tones upon the same piece. Evidently, however, great difficulty attended the production of fine Yu-li-hung, for an exceedingly high value has always been put upon it by Chinese connoisseurs. The points of excellence are the quality and tone of the red—which must be at once brilliant like a ruby, and soft as velvet—the purity of the white