QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN A LINE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

AN IMPERIALLY INSCRIBED INKSTONE-SHAPED INK CAKE
QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN A LINE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)
The ink cake is moulded on one side with two five-clawed dragons emerging from crashing waves, all within an archaistic kui dragon border at the rim. The reverse is inscribed with an imperial poem dated to Qianlong cyclical gengyin year corresponding to 1770, followed by two leisure seals reading bide, 'comparing to virtue’, and langrun, 'bright and lustrous’. The sides are inscribed with a Qianlong six-character mark and another five characters reading Suichu tang xang mo, ‘ink cake stoned in the Pursue One’s Original Ambition Hall’.
6 11/16 in. (17 cm.) long, cloth box

Provenance

Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The imperial poem inscribed on the present ink cake is recorded in Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji: yuzhishi, vol. 3, juan 87 (fig. 1). Compare to a nearly identical ink cake with gilding on the two dragons and additional decoration on the sides, is in the collection of Beijing Palace Museum, which does not appear to be published but can be found on the Palace Museum website.

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