Chinese pottery and porcelain vol. 1. Pottery and early wares

Chinese pottery and porcelain; vol. 1. Pottery and early wares

WHEN we consider the great extent of the Chinese Empire and its teeming populationboth of them larger than those of Europeand the fact that a race with a natural gift for the potter's craft and a deep appreciation of its productions has lived and laboured there for twenty centuries (to look no farther back than the Han dynasty), it seems almost presumptuous to attempt a history of so vast and varied an industry within the compass of two volumes. Anything approaching finality in such a subject is out of the question, and, indeed, imagination staggers at the thought of a complete record of every pottery started in China in the past and present. As far as pottery is concerned, we must be content with the identification of a few prominent types and with very broad classifications, whether they be chronological or topographical. Indeed, the potteries named in the Chinese records are only a few of those which must have existed; and though we may occasionally rejoice to find in our collections a series like the red stonewares of Yihsing, which can be definitely located, a very large proportion of our pottery must be labelled uncertain or unknown. How many experts here or on the Continent could identify the pottery made in South Germany or Hungary a hundred years ago? What chance, then, is there of recognising any but the most celebrated wares of China? In dealing with porcelain as distinct from pottery, we have a simpler proposition. The bulk of what we see in Europe is not older than the Ming dynasty and was made at one of two large centres, viz. Chingt Chn in Kiangsi, and Thua in Fukien. Topographical arrangement, then, is an easy matter, and there[xvi] is a considerable amount of information available to guide us in chronological considerations. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 67970
Author: Hobson, R. L. (Robert Lockhart)
Release Date: May 2, 2022
Format: eBook
Language: English
Publisher: Cassell and Company, Ltd
Publication Date: 1915
Publisher Country: United Kingdom