Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 8.djvu/168

 special orders in 1796 for the production of enamelled faience—Nishiki-de—at the Tadeno factory, and it is to this fact, taken in conjunction with the impulse imparted to the decorative art of Satsuma generally by the acquirements and enterprise of Hōkō and Chiubei, that may be ascribed the popular misconception, spoken of above, with regard to the period when vitrifiable enamels were first used by the potters of Sasshiu and Osumi.

The distinguishing features of the enamelled Satsuma-yaki produced in the time of Eiō, as well as in the early days of the manufacture, were fineness of pâte and lustre of glaze. The former was as close-grained as pipe-clay, and almost as hard as porcelain biscuit. The amateur can have no safer guide. He will find that, however chaste and careful may be the decoration of a modern piece, the chalky, porous nature of the pâte at once proclaims its youth. As for the glaze, it was indescribably smooth, lustrous, and mellow. Quality of glaze, however, is not an infallible criterion of age. Old and in other respects excellent pieces are to be found which show a somewhat coarsely crackled, crude surface. But the amateur may accept this as a rule,—that choice pieces of old Satsuma-yaki should have an ivory-like, lustrous glaze, of creamy or even yellowish tone, and that their crackle should be almost microscopic. The enamels used were red, green, Prussian blue, purple, gold, black, and yellow. All these may be seen on modern imitations also, but the purity and brilliancy of the old enamels are now seldom rivalled. As for decorative subjects, it may be emphatically laid down that pieces upon which human figures and peacocks are depicted belong, with very rare exceptions, to the spurious