A RARE SMALL CHENGNI POMEGRANATE-FORM INKSTONE

This inkstone appears to be of a type known as chengni, which first appeared during the Tang dynasty, and which is considered one of the four most important inkstone materials in China, which include She, Duan and Tao stones. It is made from sifted river mud from Shanxi province in northern China that is filtered, molded, carved, fired and polished producing a very smooth inkstone with stone-like qualities. The reddish color of the present inkstone is called xiatouhong (shrimp's head red).