The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-09-02
NUMBER So
CHINESE ART.

| The works of art of the Chinese are
well known for their great beauty of
color and form in porcelain, and the ex-
traordinary fineness as well as origin
atty of design in carvings of wood and
| ivory while the bronze objects which
represent the antique art of China are
often most remarkable for the skill and
| fancy with which the forms of natural
| objects, plants, and animals have been
| treated in composing the ornament.
The grotesques, for which they have an
especial liking, are also far beyond any
that European artists have ever design
ed; many of these are carved in the
jade, which is almost as hard as dia-
mond, and can only be worked by great
labor. The roots of trees are also very
cleverly carved into grotesque figures
and animals, displaying the most ingen-
ious and imaginative fancy. In paint
ing they are great imitators and, having
perfect colors, they succeed in painting
birds, flowers, fruit, animals and figures
of men and wemen in the brightest and
finest colors, but without any idea of
very correct drawing or placing the OBJ
ject in perspective. In this respect they
are behind the Japanese, who show a
much more artistic feeling for natural
beauty and picturesque arrangement.
The laquer work is another form of
their ornamental art which is now IA
miliar to our shops. One of the most
wonderful of all their feats in delicate
work is the engraved mirror. The IT.
allan artists of the sixteenth century
engraved ornamental borders to their
metallic mirrors, and ON the back of the
plate they often bestowed the greatest
labor; but nothing approaches the Chi
nese work. These mirrors appear
hFsIor nd nd
Slass; but in certain lights the design
shines out brilliantly upon the polished
surface, thus not interfering with the
use of the mirror for seeing in it. But
then the curious point is, that, on look
ing at the back of the plate, there we
see the design again, so precisely that
the eye is completely deceived by the
appearance of transparency thus most
cleverly given. The Chinese, however,
have not vet approached any real per-
ception of the beauty and power of art
as the European nations have for SO
many centuries had; in this they are
among the youngest of nations, though,
no doubt, they can claim an acquaint-
ance with art that reaches as far back as
the ancient Egyptians They have long
had their portrait painters, and they
make some attempt at painting subjects,
such as assemblies of manderins and
people of importance-all very closely
initiative in the work, but rather stiff,
as we see in all early works of this ma
ture. The intercourse with Europeans
will, however, be sure to encourage the
natural taste for ornamental objects and
pictures, and we shall see this last de-
velopment of peoples civilization ari-
sing as the railroad, the locomotive,
and the electric telegraph make their
appearance in the Celestial Empire.
The great leader in this advance of ou-
ter barbarism into the preserves of Ce-
lestial civilization happens to be that
eminent Celestial, Commissioner Lay.
who is already contemplating a visit to
this country, to prepare the way and
make the acquaintance of our great en-
gineers.