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China Terminology

Age - Porcelain was not made in England until almost the middle of the eighteenth century, so that it is impossible that the “Worcester” or “Crown Derby” services, which the amateur so fondly believes to have been in his family for “over 200 years,” can, have been made in this country. Either there is a mistake in the date or they are Oriental, porcelain having been made by the Chinese from the remotest ages. Mr. Cosmo Monkhouse in his book on Oriental china speaks of Period 1 as extending “from the disputed date when porcelain was discovered to the Sung Dynasty, which commenced A.D. 960.”

At a time when the highest achievements of the Oriental were mellowed by age, Ceramic Art in our own country was in its earliest infancy. All our factories tried to imitate specimens imported from China, and a large majority of the designs first used were Oriental. This, in itself, is a snare to the amateur (for if there is one fault more than another which he should avoid it is that of judging by pattern and decoration), and is one of the great reasons why it is so necessary to the right understanding of china that a careful study should be made of paste and glaze.

Of course, the collector must learn to distinguish between English porcelain decorated in Oriental taste and Chinese porcelain, but the difficulty should be easily overcome. Oriental china is, with the exception of a small proportion of rare and very valuable pieces, hard paste, and even compared with examples from Plymouth and Bristol-the two English factories which made hard paste-the difference must be quite apparent to an almost untrained eye. I t will be well, however, to test the two with a magnifying glass, and in order to do this it is necessary to obtain unmistakable specimens of each.

For the English I would suggest a piece of marked Bristol if possible and a piece of crown-marked Derby, but if these are not available, take a piece of marked Worcester, and for the Oriental an example of blue Nankin, which is a kind of Oriental familiar to most people, whether collectors or not. Failing this, a piece of the so-called” Armorial Lowestoft,” well-known to most people, and unmistakably Oriental, would answer the purpose. Examine these pieces thoroughly with the glass all over, then turn them so that the under side-where there is no decoration-is uppermost, and mark any differences, especially in the glaze where it may have accumulated round the ring at the bottom of the cup or plate. Note the “pin-points” or tiny holes always seen on a piece of Oriental china which are like, and yet so different from the specks and indentations on a piece of English porcelain; also, the slight rings often seen in the Oriental paste are quite different from the spiral ridges generally seen on specimens of Plymouth and Bristol china. The glaze is put on much more carefully in the Oriental, and has the appearance of being an ingredient in the paste, *-we notice this more or less in our own hard paste productions, but not to the same extent. Another test is the color of the paste seen by looking through first one piece and then the other in a strong light.

All this should be done over and over again and notes made of any difference, however subtle, which may be remarked. It is best that each person should make his own observations, unbiased by any preconceived idea of what he will find, as the same characteristics may appear more or less different to each person.

Scale Decoration - We often hear of the beautiful Worcester china with blue scale ground, and more rarely a piece is met with which has salmon scale ground; in each case the groundwork of the piece is a form of decoration which resembles the scales of a fish.

Salmon Scale is a salmon-pink scale also used at Worcester as groundwork. Blue, pink, and even green, scale was used as borders and bands by several factories.

Powder Blue is a color copied from the fine vases and dishes made in China; it was used at Worcester in the earliest days; the name is almost an explanation; it is a ground color, with a granular appearance like gunpowder, and is a shade of blue resembling steel.

Biscuit - This term signifies unglazed porcelain. Chaffers describes it as resembling “a new clay pipe with no gloss upon it.” Transfer printing is a process which was discovered about the year 1756, and is a very simple one. An impression taken from a copper plate on to paper was applied to the ware, which had previously been heated and sized, this was carefully pressed and rubbed, and the ink being made from linseed oil left the impression on the piece.

Kaolin - This term is used to signify china clay. I t is said to be derived from the Chinese Kaou-ling (lofty ridge), the name of a hill where the clay was found.

Petuntse - A siliceous stone found in China, and answering to our felspar or Cornish china stone.

“Unaker” - The name given by the Cherokee Indians of Virginia to the china clay obtained from them about the year 1744 and brought over to this country.