Lot 353
353
AN UNUSUAL SET OF FOUR SOAPSTONE AND JICHIMU CALLIGRAPHIC PANELS

Details
AN UNUSUAL SET OF FOUR SOAPSTONE AND JICHIMU CALLIGRAPHIC PANELS
19TH CENTURY

Each rectangular panel inlaid in soapstone of pale grayish olive-green tone with an inscription executed in running cursive script (xing cao shu), the last panel with a signature, He Shaoji, set within a frame with rounded corners and scrolled metal mount, some losses and restoration
54 x 13 5/16in. (137.2 x 33.8cm.) (4)

Lot Essay

The calligraphy is apparently that of He Shaoji (1799-1873) and describes how he was asked to write a piece of calligraphy for a friend. A four-paneled screen of lacquered huali with inlaid bamboo calligraphic inscriptions in the collection of Rongbaozhai, Beijing, is illustrated by Tian Jiaqing, "The Art of Decorative Carving on Qing Dynasty Furniture", Orientations, May 1996, p. 53, fig. 13