Excerpt from A History and Description of Chinese Porcelain I cannot begin a preface to the last work of my much-regretted friend Mr. Cosmo Monkhouse without a word to express my deep feeling of his irreparable loss. The vanished hand will be more especially missed as that of a cultivated critic of the fascinating art of the Chinese potter. His loving appreciation of the decorative value of the porcelain of the Far East was fully shown in the scholarly introductions he wrote for the catalogues of the collections of Blue and White and Coloured Oriental Porcelains, which were exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1895 and 1896. No pen has ever painted more vividly the charm of the changes which the Chinese ring with varied tones of cobalt blue pulsating from the depths of a pellucid glaze; the brilliant ruby-like depth of the sang-de-boeuf and the soft sheen of the peau-de-pe'che, in which they have ennobled the copper silicates; or the perfect harmony of the pictures painted with delicate enamel colours upon a translucent egg-shell ground, which marks the cul minating point of their consummate mastery of the technique of the potter's art. But all these points are better emphasised in the pages of the book which it has been my privilege to look through before its publication. The text was really ready for the Press, and I have only ventured to add an occasional ex planatory note, always carefully initialed. The coloured plates were also finished, so that it only remained for me toselect a series of typical pieces for reproduction in black-and white, and to write a short description of the illustrations. There is such a wonderful exhibition of Chinese ceramic art at the present moment in the halls of the Victoria and Albert Museum at South Kensington that it must be my own fault if a fairly representative series is not presented here. I am sure that Mr. Monkhouse would not have been sparing in his thanks to Mr. G. Salting for the generous way in which he has placed his magnificent collection at our disposal, and to Mr. A. B. Skinner for the personal interest he has taken in furthering the preparation of the pictures. Acknowledgments are also due to M. Solon, foremost of art potters of the day, for kindly revising the proofs; so that any of the technical points involved may be taken without further question. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from How to Identify Old Chinese Porcelain To several kind friends I also tender thanks for their kindness in allowing their valuable porcelain to be photographed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Chinese Porcelain, Vol. 1 In addition to the works quoted from, there are others in both this and the French language, many of which might have been used with advantage; but to have employed them would have extended the size of this little volume beyond the limit of a hand-book, which it has already somewhat exceeded. Mr. T. J. Larkin has been good enough to read through the proofs, and the notes he has kindly appended the reader will find add greatly to the value of the work. Thanks are also due to Mr. Arbuthnot, of Shanghai, for sundry Chinese books. In conclusion, it only remains to thank Mr. Charles H. Read for kindly consenting to this book being dedicated to the memory of his old friend Sir W ellaston Franks. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The Beginnings of Porcelain in China I On Chinese Cinerary Urns (journal British Archaeological Association, Vol. XXV II, 1871, pp. 343-349. Plate XVII). Vol. I, p. 15 (new York and London. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 edition. Excerpt: ... Part IK DESCRIPTIVE. CLASS I.--PORCELAIN NOT PAINTED. Section A.--Plain White. THERE are some collectors who make a specialty of white porcelain, and a very interesting study it is. In the first place, it is the foundation of all porcelain. The first ware which, according to European notions, could properly be called porcelain, that is, highly vitrified and translucid, must have been white, or something approaching to it. There may be, as has been seen, some doubt as to certain old, unbroken coloured pieces, whether they are true porcelain or not, but the doubt cannot occur with uncoloured pieces. The green ware like glass made by Ho-chou, and the ware like jade produced by T'ao Yu, under the Sui Dynasty, may or may not have been porcelain, and the same doubt exists with regard to many of the so-called porcelains of the T'ang Dynasty, but if the description of the T'ang ware called Shu-yao is correct, viz. snow-white in colour with a clear ring, there is very little doubt that it was true porcelain. Porcelain can be artificially coloured throughout its substance (like the pieces made by Messrs. Minton for Solon's decoration in pdte-mvr-pdte), but there is no record of any interference in China with the colour of the body. For practical purposes it may therefore be assumed that all Chinese porcelain is "white" of more or less purity, and it would naturally be the desire of the potter that all the undecorated ware should be as purely white as possible. E White porcelain not meant to be decorated in colours is of two classes, glazed and unglazed. The unglazed, called biscuit, is comparatively rare, and is often carved and perforated in a very elaborate manner. In the Franks collection is a pair of cups (No. 26a) on the outside of which are...

Excerpt from Chinese Porcelain, Vol. 2 In the sixteenth century porcelain was so highly esteemed in Europe that many pieces were mounted in silver, and it is reasonable to suppose that the best specimens were selected for this honour. N ow, except, perhaps, where historical value attaches, as in the case of the Trenchard and Warham bowls, the mountings, as samples of early silver work, are of more value than the china they were originally designed to protect and ornament. The reason for this being that much finer porcelain has since come to hand; while to give value, artistic merit is necessary, as well as mere antiquity; and in the former qualification the Ming productions have been greatly distanced by the Tsing. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.