MARBLE, something veined or clouded, resembling marble. See MARBLING.
MARBLED China-ware, a name given by many to a species of porcelain or china-ware, which seems to be full of cemented flaws. It is called by the Chinese, who are very fond of it, tsou tehi. It is generally plain white, sometimes blue, and has exactly the appearance of a piece of china which had been first broken, and then had all the pieces cemented in their places again, and covered with the original varnish. The manner of preparing it is easy, and might be imitated with us. Instead of the common varnish of the china-ware, which is made of what they call oil of stone and oil of fern mixed together, they cover this with a simple thing made only of a sort of coarse agates, calcined to a white powder, and separated from the grosser parts by means of water, after long grinding in mortars. When the powder has been thus prepared, it is left moist, or in form of a sort of cream, with the last water that is suffered to remain in it, and this is used as the varnish. Our crystal would serve full as well as those coarse agates, and the method of preparation is perfectly easy. The occasion of the singular appearance of this sort of porcelain is, that the varnish never spreads evenly, but runs into ridges and veins. These often run naturally into a sort of mosaic work which can scarce be taken for the effect of chance. If the marbled china be desired blue, they first give it a general coat of this colour, by dipping the vessel into a blue varnish; and when this is thoroughly dry, they add another coat of this agate oil.