PORCELAIN DECORATED
used to colour the leaves and stems of the plum trees, or to pick out the rocks from which they grow; the general character of the decoration does not differ, however, from that of the Héi-ti-pai-hwa. The earliest authenticated specimens of both wares alike date from the Kang-hsi era, and the manufacture was continued with excellent results until the close of the Chien-lung period (1795). These porcelains are prized in China. They appear to have been produced in limited quantities: good pieces are not procurable without considerable difficulty. The pâte alone guides the amateur to determine whether a specimen belongs to the Kang-hsi or the Chien-lung era—an unessential distinction, seeing that the productions of the two periods, in this class, are equally excellent. An important point is the quality of the black glaze. It should be glossy, uniform, and free from metallic tints. Very often, however, in specimens of the highest excellence, the black ground is pervaded, or broken, by a sheen of dark green. Imitations manufactured during the present century are always faulty in this respect. So valuable has the "Black Hawthorn" become, and so scarce is it in the Chinese market, that European potters recently thought it worth their while to forge some imposing specimens and send them to China for sale. The fraud was easily detected owing to the palpable inferiority of the imported pieces. For some unexplained reason fine specimens of "Black Hawthorn" often bear the mark of the Ming Chêng-hwa era, though they were plainly manufactured during the eighteenth century. There is no evidence that any such porcelains were produced by the Ming potters, unless the use of a spurious Ming-era mark may be
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