BY SIR WILLIAM N Volume III, page 86, of THE BURLINGTON MAGAZINE a famille verte dish, the property of the present writer, was reproduced in a

coloured plate in order to

illustrate the decorative value of the employment of large masses of green body colour in the embellishment of this muchesteemed ware. In the short article accompanying the illustration reference was made to the loss of decorative effect which is sometimes seen in large famille verte dishes by reason of the overcrowding and fussiness of detail used in the scheme of decoration.

The same tendency to over-elaboration of the and crowding shows itself in many larger vases and other pieces, but now and again specimens are forthcoming in which the highest degree of decorative effect is reached either by the use of broad masses of green or by the judicious balancing or the green motif with undecorated areas of pure white. The Chinese love of excessive and minute detail in these decorative plans makes large pieces of this kind rare; in small cabinet pieces, which are naturally intended for minute examination, this tendency is rather satisfying than the reverse, but in large pieces which, on account of their size, necessarily fall into the category of decorative or 'furnishing' ware, the overcrowding of detail robs the specimens of the breadth necessary for the desired effect, and therefore renders them disappointing, and at times indeed confusing. As a matter of fact, in the decoration of these larger pieces of famille verte the Chinese seem to have passed from an excess of overcrowding to the opposite and rarer extreme of sparsity in embellishment which at times approaches crudeness in its simplicity, especially in the case of dishes, in some of which of com

BENNETT, K.C.V.O.

paratively large size a small central decoration in colour lying in a vast field of white is deemed sufficient. The artist, however, in such cases invariably puts some fine decorative work on the back of the specimen. The decoration of the backs of Chinese plates and dishes is of course very common, it is indeed almost the rule; but, excepting those specimens which are somewhat sparsely decorated in front, the decorations at the back are rarely of the same quality This and value as those on the front. crudeness of decoration is rarely, if ever, found on vases or bottles.

A beautiful example of the crowded type of decoration is shown in Plate I. As a pure specimen of Chinese porcelain of the Kanghe (1661-1722) period, this is probably unsurpassable of its kind. Its shape,the minuteness of every detail-which will stand searching examination through a magnifying glass the interest of every separate panel, and the brilliance of the colourings, are all that can be desired, whilst the state of preservation is remarkable, since there is not a scratch or flaw of any kind. Indeed, had the vase left the kiln only yesterday it could not be more perfect; a fact which is the more interesting because of the large amount of blue enamel used in the decoration, this being of all the enamel colours notoriously the most brittle, and so the most liable to damage; a fact which should lead to the most critical examination of all specimens in which blue in enamel colourings is a strong factor, in order to determine whether of the blue enamel has been any 'restored.' Nevertheless, beautiful as the vase is as a specimen, it cannot be said to reach the highest degree of decorative value, in consequence of the absence of wellbalanced contrasts, which are necessary to produce breadth in effect, although it is far superior to the generality of these crowded 537

pieces in consequence of the large masses of blue used in some of the panels.

As an example of the opposite extreme, or sparsity in decoration, the dish shown in Plate II is interesting. It is 16 inches in diameter, saucer-shaped; the sole decoration on the front is the Dog of Fo in very bright famille verte colouring; the margin of the dish, marked off by a blue circle, is without decoration of any kind, which gives a sense of crudeness leaving something to be desired. On the back of the dish the space corresponding to the margin marked off in front is beautifully decorated with small finely-drawn dogs in brilliant and various colourings. Had these smaller dogs occupied the margin on the front of the dish a decorative scheme almost above criticism would have been attained. The datemark on this specimen, as is so often the case in Chinese porcelain, belongs to a much older period than the dish itself (vide BURLINGTON MAGAZINE, April 1904, page 48).

The types occupying the place between these two extremes represent the highest decorative value attainable in famille verte, and possibly as high as can be met with in Chinese porcelain generally, excepting perhaps certain remarkable specimens such as are occasionally met with in the famille noire, with plum blossom decoration; or like that masterpiece of Chinese porcelain decorated with sprays of cherry blossoms on a black ground, once the gem of the Salting collection, but now unfortunately gone. As examples of the fine effects obtainable by the use of bold masses of green as a body colour, the large green vase in the Salting collection and the dish reproduced in the colour plate referred to at the beginning of this article may be taken as exceptional, whilst the large double gourd-shaped vase shown in the frontispiece of the present number of this magazine is probably as fine a specimen of famille verte on undecorated areas white as could be found. This vase is one

of

of a pair, the height, without the ormolu mounts, being 27 inches. The scheme of decoration, as may be seen, is singularly dignified and well balanced, meeting the requirements of an ideal piece of fine decorative porcelain in an unusual degree. The panels are in somewhat subdued green, decorated with conventional flowers, etc., in buffs and browns; the margins of the panels are formed by a band of pure rouge-de-fer decorated with flowers and sprays in white. in white. The flowers rising vertically around the base are rouge-defer, relieved by conventional scroll-work in white. The general effect of the scheme is further enhanced by oval reserves of yellow in the wide polychrome band running round the shoulder of the body of the vase, which are relieved by a geometrical pattern in green and a central flower in rouge-de-fer. These vases are of the highest quality and in perfect preservation. The ormolu mounts (Louis XVI) are not fixed, having been originally made to be removed at will.

The estimation of the value from the decorative standpoint of metal mounts in famille verte and other Chinese porcelains must of course always be a matter of taste. So far as the writer is concerned, and he believes his view is held by all collectors who have the necessary knowledge and discrimination to appreciate porcelain for its intrinsic merits, the use of metal mountings does nothing but detract from the charm of the porcelain itself, excepting perhaps in rare cases like that of the vases, one of which is shown in the frontispiece, in which, with a true sense of the fitness of things, the metal embellishments have been made to be removable. At the same time, it must be allowed that if the mounts are French and genuine (that is to say if they are of the period of which they pretend to be), they add to the commercial value of the porcelains, and so increase the desirability of them from the dealer's point