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h e Gold is not apply'd till afier the baking, and is re-
bked in a Furnace for the purpofe: To apply the Gold,
I  they break and diffolve it in Water at the bottom of a
Mvecelvin, till a thin gilded Cloud arife on the Surface ;
jt is ufed with Gum-Water, and to give it a Body, they
add three parts of Cerufs to thirty of Gold.
There is likewife a kind of marbled Porcelain, which
.is not made by applying the Marblings with the Pencil i
but for Oil to varnifh it withal, ufing that of white Flints,
htich hatches and cuts the Work with a thoufand humou-
rIouIs Strokes, in manner of Mofaic Work. The Colour this
Oil gives, is a white, fomewhat afhy: The Porcelain is
, Call'i YfJoniki-
There are feveral other kinds of Porcelain i but they
are fuch as are rather for Curiofity than Ufe: The pret-
tieft are the Magic Porcelains, whofe Colours only appear
when fill'd with fome Liquor. Tbefe are made double:
The outfide is white, and all laid out in Compartiments;
the infide is a folid Cup, of colour'd Porcelain ; tho' the
Cup is fometimes of Glafs, which has a better Ebb. than
Porcelain. The Secret of thefe Magic Porcelains, which
the Chinejf call Kiatfim, is almoft loft; yet F. .Entrecolles
has furnifh'd us with the following Account.
The Porcelain to be painted thus, mufi be very thin;
and the Colours, which in other Porcelains are apply'd on
the Outfide, are here apply'd on the Infide: When the
Colour is dry, they lay over it a light Couch of a Size
made of the Porcelain Earth; by which means the Colour
is inclos'd between two earthen Lamine. When the Size
is dry, they throw Oil within the Porcelain; and when it
has enough, they return it to the Mould, and the Wheel,
to render it as thin and tranfparent as poflible. When dry,
'tis baked in the Common Furnace. The Colours here ufed
are always the finefl, and the Figures painted are Filhes;
as the moil fuitable to the Liquor put within them, and in
which they feem to fwim.
The feveral Kinds of Porcelains above-mention'd, being
quite painted, with their feveral Colours, and all the Co-
lours dry, are to be polifh'd, to prepare them to receive
-the OlI or Varnifh; which is done with a Pencil of very
fine Feathers, moiflen'd with Water, and pafs'd lightly o-
ver, to take off even the fmalleft Inequalities.
The Oiling or Farnijbing, is the lafl Preparation of the
q'orcelain, before it be carry'd to the Furnace: This is
apply'd more or lefs thick, and feldomer or oftener repeat-
ed, according to the Quality of the Work. For thin, fine
Porcelains, they give two very thin Couches; to others
one; but that one equivalent to the other two. There is a
deal of Art in applying the Varnilh; both that it be done
equally, and not in too great quantity. The Couches on
the Infide are given by Afperfion, i. e. by cafling in as
Imuch Varnifh as is neceffary: Thofe on the Outfide, by
immerfion, or by plunging the Pieces in a Veffel of Oil.
,It mutt be obferv'd, that the Foot is not yet form'd, but
continues in a mere Mafs, till the Work has been var-
nifhf'd: 'Tis at length finifh'd on the Wheel; and when
hollow'd, a little Circle is painted in it, and fometimes a
Chinefe Letter. This Painting being dry, the Foot is var-
nifh'd, and the Work now carry'd to the Furnace to be
baked.
o Our curious Author omits nothing; not even the Dexterity
of the People, who carry the Porcelain to the Bake-houfe:
He has been frequently furpriz'd, he tells us, to fee a Man
pafs thro' feveral Streets full of People, with two very
long, narrow Boards, rang'd with Porcelains on his Shoul-
ders; flill preferving the Equilibrium fo accurately, as not
to do any damage to fo frail a Commodity.
Nanner of Baking Porcelain.
There are two Kinds of Ovens ufed in baking of Porcelain:
Large ones, for Works that are only to come to the Fire
once, which is the common way; and fmall ones, for fuch
Oas require a double baking. The large ones are two Chi-
eyfe Fathoms deep, and almoft four wide. They are
form'd of a Mixture of three Earths; one whereof, Yellow
and Common, makes the Bafis; the two others are fcarcer,
and dug out of deep Mines, wherein People can only work
in Winter. One of them, call'd Laotou, is a very firong,
fliff Earth; the other Teouton, oily.
The Sides and Roof of the Ovens are fo thick, that one
may lay the Hand on them, when the Fire is at its height,
Ewithout danger of buring. At the Top of the Vault,
which is in form of a Tunnel, is a large Apdture to give
I  vent to the Flames and Smoke, which mqpnt up inceffant-
ly, as foon as Fire is once fet  to the Furnace Befide the
principal Aperture, there are four or five fmall ones a-
round; which, by being open'd and lhut, ferve to aug-
X ment or diminifh the Heat: like the Holes in the Chy-
mifs Furnaces, call'd Regiflers. The Hearth, which takes
.    up the whole Breadth of the Furnace, is plated in Front,
precifely againfi the opening of the Door, and is two or


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three Foot deep, and two broad; People pafiing over ii OA
a Plank, to go into the Furnace to dlfpofe the Porcelain.
As foon as the Fire is lighted, the Door it wall'd up; An-
ly leaving an Aperture for the Conveyance of Wood. Lafl-
ly, the Bottom of the Oven is cover'd with Sand, wherein
part of the firfi Porcelain Cafes are buried. The Furnace
Itfelf is ufually placed at the Extremity of a long, narrow
Veclible, which ferves in lieu of Bellows; the cold Air
and Wind being thus driven direaly in the face of each
Furnace.
Each Piece of Porcelain of any Note, is difpofed, in the
Furnace, in its feparate Cafe, or Coffin. Indeed, as to Tea-
Dilhes, Eec. the fame Cafe ferves for feveral. The Cafes
are all of the fame Matter with the Furnace: They have
no Lids; but ferve each other mutually, the Bottom of a
fecond Cafe fitting into the Aperture of the firfi; and thus
fucceffively, to the Top of each Column. Each Coffin
which is ufually of a Cylindrical Form, that the Fire may
communicate itfelf more equably to the Porcelains in-
clofed, has, at bottom, a little Lay of very fine Sand, co-
ver'd over with Dufl of Kaolin, that the Sand may not
flick to the Work; and care is taken that the Porcelain
may not touch the Sides of the Cafe. In the larger Cafes,
which hold the fmall Pieces; they leave the Middle va-
cant; in regard Porcelains placed there would want the ne-.
ceffary Heat. Each of thefe little Pieces is mounted on a
little Maffive of Earth, the thicknefs of two Crowns, co-
ver'd with Powder of Kaolin.
F. Entrecolles obferves, that the Porcelains are put in
Cafes, to prevent any Diminution of Lufire from the too
violent Effedt of a naked Fire i adding, that 'tis owing to
thefe thick Veils, that the-Beauty, or, as he calls it, the
Compleaion of the Porcelains$ is not tann'd by the Heat of
the Fire.
As fall as the Cafes are fill'd, a Workman ranges them
in the Cavity of the Furnace; forming them into Piles or
Columns; whereof thofe in the middle are at leaft feven
Foot high:  The two Cafes at the bottom of each Column
are left empty; becaufe being partly funk in the Sand, the
Fire has the lefs effed on them; and for the fame reafon,
the uppermoff one is left empty. In this manner is the
whole Cavity of the Furnace fill'd with Columns, except-
ing that part precifely under the grand Aperture.
In ranging the Cafes, they obferve always to place the
finefi Piles of Porcelain in the Centre; the coarfeit at Bot-
tom; and thofe that are high-colour'd, and confifl of as
much Petunfa as Kaolin, and wherein the worfi Oil is ufed,
at the Mouth.
Thefe Piles are all placed very near one another, and
are bound together at top, at bottom, and in the middle,
by Pieces of Earth; in fuch manner, as that the Flame
may have a free Pafage among them, and infinuate equal-
ly on all fides: in which a great part of the Workman's
Art lies, and on which the Perfeffion of the Porcelain
much depends. Another thing to be obferv'd, is, that a
Furnace muil never be fet altogether with new Coffins ;
but half one, half t'other: the old ones at the bottoms
and tops of the Pile, and the new ones in the middle. In-
deed 'twere better to have them all burnt in a Furnace
a-part, e'er they come to be ufed for Porcelain; as was
antiently done.  The Cafes, our Author obferves, are
brought ready prepared from a large Village on the River,
a League diflant from Kimtetchim. E'er burnt, they are
yellow; and afterwards of a dark red.
When the Furnace is fill'd, they wall up the Door; on-
ly leaving a little Aperture for the throwing in of little
Pieces of Wood, a Foot long, but very flender, to keep up
the Fire. 'Tis then heated, by degrees, for the fpace of a
Day and Night; after which two Men, who relieve one an-
other, continue to throw in Wood without any interruption.
To know when the Porcelain is baked enough, they open
one of the leffer Holes of the Furnace, and with a pair of
Tongs take off the Lid of one of the Piles. If the Fire
appear very brisk and clear, and the Piles equally inflam'd;
and efpecially if the Colours of the Porcelaitir that are
uncover'd, dart forth a noble Lufire; the Coaion is fuffi-
cient, they difcontinue the Fire, and wall up what re-
main'd of the Door of the Furnace.
If the Furnace be only fill'd with fmall Porcelains, they
take them out twelve or fifteen Hours after the Fire is ex-
tind : If it be fill'd with larger, they defer opening it
for two or three Days. In this the modern Praaice differs
from the antient; wherein the Door was not open'd till
after ten Days for the large Pieces, and five for the fmall
ones.
One thing very furprizing, and almofi inconceivable,
F. Entrecolles obferves, is, that there are never found any
Afhes on the Hearth of the Furnace; what Quantity of
Wood foever is confum'd. He adds another thing, which
with him paffes for equally firange, that the Workmen em-
ploy'd about the Furnaces, flake their Thirff, by conti-
nually drinking hot Tea, with Salt difolv'd in it.
The


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