The Early Ceramic Wares of China

Abstract

THIS excellent and trustworthy piece of work, obviously the fruit of prolonged research and consideration of the available evidence, is precisely the book one would recommend to the student or collector who was about to enter upon a serious study of the earlier Chinese pottery and porcelain with a view of forming a collection for his personal delight and study; for it is conceived and carried through in such a fine vein of reasoned enthusiasm that one could scarcely wish for a saner yet more inspiriting guide. Though our knowledge and understanding of the progressive steps by which the early pottery and porcelain of that vast territory were slowly brought to perfection are still incomplete, and must probably always remain so, really competent works such as this are of great value, if further progress is to be made in the task of elucidation, because they focus attention so clearly on what is known and, at the same time, remind us of the most important points that are still unknown or, at best, imperfectly understood.

The Early Ceramic Wares of China.

By A. L. Hetherington. Pp.xviii + 160 + 44 plates. (London: Benn Bros., Ltd., 1922.) 3l. 3s. net.