WARES OF HIZEN
This was the porcelain that our faience-makers first imitated, and after them the potters of France, England, and specially of Saxony, where reproductions so perfect are made that one must be a clever connoisseur to avoid occasional deception. These porcelains, so-called Korean, were the first brought from Japan by the Dutch, but the arrivals seem to have ceased at the end of the seventeenth century, so that specimens were formerly much sought after by connoisseurs, in whose collections they occupied an important place under the designation of ancienne première qualité colorié du Japon. Here is what Juillot said of them in his descriptive catalogue of Oriental porcelains, forming part of the collection of M. Randon de Boisset, which was sold in 1777: 'The late M. Randon de Boisset, gifted with delicate and severe taste, collected capital pieces of different varieties, above all of ancient Japanese porcelain called première qualité colorié, for which, as a true connoisseur, he had a great predilection. This porcelain, the composition of which is entirely lost, has always attracted the attention of amateurs by the fine texture of its beautiful white pâte, the seductive softness of its rouge mat, the velvet-like character of its soft yet brilliant green and deep blue colours. Such is the veritable and recognised merit of this porcelain, so that all choice collections have been and are composed of it, which alone is a sufficient eulogy.' " It need scarcely be said that M. Juillot is entirely mistaken in supposing that the art of manufacturing the pâte of the Nabeshima porcelain had been lost before the time (1777) of his dictum. Neither is there any sufficient reason to credit M. du Sartel's conclusion that the import of such ware ceased at the end of the seventeenth century. The history of its manufacture
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