QIANLONG YUMING MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

AN IMPERIALLY INSCRIBED ZISHA CHENGNI ‘RABBIT’ CIRCULAR INK STONE
QIANLONG YUMING MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)
The top of the circular inkstone is moulded with a rabbit gazing at the moon, surrounded by a raised band and a border incised and gilt with a Qianlong imperial poem praising the inkstone, followed by a Qianlong yuming mark and a four-character seal, huixin buyuan, ‘epiphany in sight’, with a further incised and gilt seven-character inscription, fang Song yutu chaoyuan yan, ‘in emulation of an inkstone with rabbit and moon from the Song dynasty’.
4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) diam, zitan box and cover

Lot Essay

Made of a combination of zisha, purple clay from Yixing, and chengni, fine river mud baked and polished, the current ink stone belongs to a group of imperial ink stones made during the Qianlong period as gifts for noteworthy officials. Compare a chengni ink stone with the same decoration and imperial poem accompanied by a jade-inset zitan box incised with the same poem and a cyclical wuxu year (1778) in the Palace Museum, Beijin, refer to the museum’s official website: https://www.dpm.org.cn/collection/studie/227597.html

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