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AMONG THE PORCELAIN-MAKERS. 179
ratus and in a few moments had formed the bottom of a vase.
As he built this up, it became necessary for him to use both
his hands, whereupon he dexterously moved the wheel with
his feet. Little by little, the vase rose until it was about
eight inches in height, when he finished it off by trimming the
rim with a wooden instrument, having done which, he rested.
:?
That," said the proprietor, " is the ordinary way of mak-
ing any piece of pottery. For fine specimens we employ
wooden cores, made in sections and fastened together, these
being removed as soon as the paste is set. If handles or other
ornamentations are required, we mould and fix them to the
article with a little wet clay. You will observe that the potter's
tools consist of the wheel and a few pieces of wood, with
which he models and trims the articles. Sometimes we cover
a vase with raised figures of flowers, et cetera; at others coat it
with a fine kind of clay, to give the article a good finish."
He showed them various pieces in the process of manufac-
ture, then conducted them up the hill to the kilns, which were
ranged in sets of three, one above the other.
!? We build them thus to economize wood," he remarked.
'
The heat from the lower oven passes into the others, so when
the first is sufficiently fired, the second is red hot and requires
very little more fuel to complete the work."
They peeped into one of the kilns, which was cooling, and
saw that many of the vases had leaned over and some had top-
pled upon others.
" " Ah ! sighed the manufacturer, " that is where we lose so
much. While the pieces are burning they sag and either tum-
ble over or come out crooked. I will now show you how our
artists work."
The visitors were conducted to a row of houses, the dwell-
ings of the decorators, each of whom was assisted by an