SONG DYNASTY (AD 960-1279)

Details

A DUAN SIZHIYANG RECTANGULAR INKSTONE
SONG DYNASTY (AD 960-1279)
The smooth purplish-grey stone is crisply carved with straight flat sides enclosing a sloping platform that descends to a deep water well at the closed end, with the opposite end and underside cut away. Both sides are carved in high relief with a flaming pearl to cleverly utilize an ‘eye’ in the stone.
6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm.) long, cloth box

Provenance

J. J. Lally & Co., New York, no. 2753.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Margaret Gristina (葛曼琪) Senior Specialist, VP

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

A slightly larger Song dynasty Duan inkstone of very similar form and with natural ‘eye’ markings is in the Nanjing Museum and illustrated by Xu Huping in The Treasures of the Nanjing Museum, London, 2001, no. 80. See, also, an inkstone with four straight sides (sizhiyang) illustrated by S. Kwan in Chinese Inkstones, Hong Kong, 2005, pp. 146-147, no. 34.

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