Lot 881
881
A RARE DARK OLIVE-GREY STONE TILE-FORM INKSTONE
A RARE DARK OLIVE-GREY STONE TILE-FORM INKSTONE
A RARE DARK OLIVE-GREY STONE TILE-FORM INKSTONE
A RARE DARK OLIVE-GREY STONE TILE-FORM INKSTONE
3 More
A RARE DARK OLIVE-GREY STONE TILE-FORM INKSTONE

FIRST HALF OF 18TH CENTURY

Details
A RARE DARK OLIVE-GREY STONE TILE-FORM INKSTONE
FIRST HALF OF 18TH CENTURY
The ink stone is made in the form of a Han roof tile, with one end gently curved and carved with a seven-character inscription, fang Han Shiquge wa yan (in imitation of the inkstone made from the roof tile of Shiqu pavilion of the Han dynasty), and the other end more deeply curved. The circular grinding surface has a beaded border below a poem titled Langweng zan (An accolade by an idle old man), followed by a seal reading Shiwen yin (seal of Shiwen). The underside is carved in archaistic script with four characters, Shiqu ge wa (roof tile from the Shiqu pavilion), followed by Xuande yuannian (first year of Xuande reign [1426]), and two seals, Xuan and De, and there is a lengthy inscription on one long side which is signed Gao Fenghan.
5 7/8 in. (15 cm.) long
Provenance
Sir Percival David (1892-1964) Collection, England.
Bonhams London, 20 April 1983, lot 132.
Auspicious Treasures from the Blumenfield Collection; Christie's New York, 22 March 2012, lot 1278.
Literature
S. Riddel, Dated Chinese Antiquities, London/Boston, 1979, pp. 188-9, pl. 149a, no. 1426.
Exhibited
Los Angeles, Sumptuous Elegance: Art of the 18th Century Qing Dynasty, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 17 March - 30 June 1992.

Brought to you by

Rufus Chen (陳嘉安)
Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist
+1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay


The poem inscribed above the well was composed by the Northern Song poet Su Shi (1037-1101), who is known to have given to his friend Chen Mingying an inkstone on which he incised the same poem that appears on the present example. The poem cites the antiquity and the source of the stone, and extolls its qualities, as well as its worthiness of being preserved by later generations.

The inscription on one side is signed Gao Fenghan (1683-1749), a well-known Qing dynasty poet, painter, calligrapher and seal carver, known for his love of inkstones. The inscription states that the inkstone previously belonged to Lantai Zheng shan ren (hermit Zheng of Lantai), that the stone comes from Qingzhou (present-day Shangdong province), that the carving is reminiscent of statues from the Five Dynasties, and that Gao was asked to carve the inscription by his friend Wen shan ren (hermit Wen).

A Duan inkstone similar in shape to the present inkstone, dated Qianlong, and similarly inscribed with an inscription and a seal above the circular grinding surface was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 16-17 January 1989, lot 409.

More from Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

View All
View All