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, fou tchi. 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 scarcely 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.

Artificial MARBLES. The stucco, of which statues, busts, basso-relievos, and other ornaments of architecture are made, ought to be marble pulverized, mixed in a certain proportion with plaster; the whole well sifted, worked up with water, and used like common plaster. See Stucco.

There is also a kind of artificial marble made of the flaky selenites, or a transparent stone resembling plaster; which becomes very hard, receives a tolerable polish, and may deceive a good eye. This kind of selenite resembles Muscovy talc.

There is another sort of artificial marble formed by corrosive tinctures, which, penetrating into white marble to the depth of a line or more, imitate the various colours of other dearer marbles.

There is also a preparation of brimstone in imitation of marble.

To do this, you must provide yourself with a flat and smooth piece of marble: on this make a border or wall, to encumprats either a square or oval table, which may be done either with wax or clay. Then having several sorts of colours, as white lead, vermilion, lake, orpiment, malicot, smalt, Prussian blue, &c.; melt on a slow fire some brimstone in several glazed pipkins; put one particular sort of colour into each, and stir it well together; then having before oiled the marble all over within the wall, with one colour quickly drop spots upon it of larger and less size; after this, take another colour and do as before, and so on till the stone is covered with spots of all the colours you design to use. When this is done, you are next to consider what colour the mass or ground of your table is to be; if of a gray colour, then take fine sifted ashes, and mix it up with melted brimstone; or if red, with English red ochre; if white, with white lead; if black, with lamp or ivory black. Your brimstone for the ground must be pretty hot, that the colour dropt on the stone may unite and incorporate with it. When the ground is poured even all over, you are next, if judged necessary, to put a thin waincoat board upon it: this must be done while the brimstone is hot, making also the board hot, which ought to be thoroughly dry, in order to cause the brimstone to stick the better to it. When the whole is cold, take it up, and polish it with a cloth and oil, and it will look very beautiful.

Arundel MARBLES, marbles with a chronicle of the city of Athens, inscribed on them (as was supposed) many years before our Saviour's birth; presented to the university of Oxford by Thomas earl of Arundel, whence the name. See ARUNDELIAN Marbles.

Playing MARBLES, are mostly imported from Holland; where it is said they are made by breaking the stone alabaster, or other substance, into pieces or chips, of a suitable size; these are put into an iron mill which turns by water: there are several partitions with rasps within, cut flat-wise, not with teeth, which turn constantly round with great swiftness; the friction against the rasps makes them round, and as they are formed, they fall out of different holes, into which size or chance throws them. They are brought from Nuremberg to Rotterdam, down the Rhine, and from thence dispersed over Europe.