A RARE RECTANGULAR 'ORCHID PAVILION' YAOHE INKSTONE

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Precious Inkstone from the West 'With the sum of six million a year, in exchange for this stone from Linyao' - Yuan Haowen writing in the 13th century Yaohe stone was one of the most admired materials for grinding ink in the minds of the Chinese literati, and was treasured from as early as the Tang Dynasty. It was mined from the depth of the riverbed of Linyao River (hence the name Yaohe), which was notoriously treacherous and deep. Furthermore the area, now in modern day Gansu province in west China, was often under the control of nomadic tribes, which made the availability of the stone unreliable. It was therefore extremely expensive in the Song period particularly when the area was mostly out of the court's control. In 1072, the Northern Song general Wang Shao (1030-1081) successfully conquered the area briefly, which he used as a strategic outpost against the Xixia army. The maintenance of this far flung fortress cost the government in the tune of some six million taels of silver a year. The calligrapher Huang Tingjian inscribed on one of his Yaohe inkstones that: 'General Wang conquered Linyao for our country, every year the Government sent six million (taels of silver) to the place, but the only useful thing we get from it is this inkstone.' Indeed, in the Northern Song period, the Yaohe stone was exclusively reserved for the court and the wealthy because of its scarcity, and was sent as tribute to the court. It was a legendary stone that many had heard of but few had access. Zhao Xihu, a well-known painting connoisseur, wrote in the 12th century that: 'Apart from Duan and She stones, the green stone from Yaohe is especially valued in the North. It is green like indigo; lustrous like jade. It can grind ink as well as the best of Duan. However, it can only be found in the depth of the Great Linyao river, and not easily obtained by human endeavor - it is a valueless treasure when one can get hold of it.' Critics of inkstones believe that, since Yaohe stone was immersed in the water deep under river, its natural moisture makes grinding ink very easy. The mining of the stone reached a zenith in the Ming Dynasty but since then there was a sharp decline which subsequently made early Yaohe stones very rare. Although several Yaohe inkstones have been recorded in the imperial catalogue of inkstones, Xiqing Yanpu, none are in the National Palace Museum collection. Only a few originally from the Qing Court Collection are now in the Palace Museum in Beijing, such as the ones illustrated in The Four Treasures of the Study - Writing Paper and Inkstones, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the National Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2005, no. 21, p. 33 (decorated with Luohan and dated Song by the researchers) and no. 96, p. 143-145 (decorated with a scene of Tao Yuanming and considered a Song period Duan stone by the Qianlong emperor, but catalogued as Yaohe and dated to the Qianlong period by the researchers). There are three Yaohe inkstones in the Su Zhu An Collection, all of them decorated with the subject of the Lanting Gathering, the literary event famously recorded by Wang Xizhi in the spring of AD 353. The decorative scheme is comparable on all three inkstones, albeit with certain stylistic variations. The top of the inkstone is carved with a pavilion beside a stream- cleverly hollowed as the water well, sometimes with geese swimming in it. The sides are decorated with scholars carrying with cups of wine and engaged in leisure activities by a river detailed with lotus leaves. The hollowed backs are decorated with more geese - a bird closely associated with Wang Xizhi. This decorative scheme seems to be a convention for these 'Lanting' inkstones, and several examples have been recorded such as the one in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in bid, no. 19, p. 27-31; and several in Komeiken, Tokyo, 1974, pls. 1-62. There are two further examples included in the Su Zhu An Collection offered in the current sale, lots 3254 and 3255. A Duan inkstone in a Japanese private collection (fig. 1), carved with an inscription by the Qianlong Emperor and recorded in Xiqing Yanpu, also follows this decorative scheme. These have all been traditionally dated to the Song period by the respective researchers of the catalogues. These inkstones are very possibly inspired by handscrolls depicting a gathering of this same theme such as the one by the Northern Song painter Li Gonglin, whose painting has been preserved in rubbing form from stone carvings (fig. 2 and 3). A Yuan period mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer tiered box (fig. 3) is also decorated with this design, and follows more faithfully the depiction on the handscroll than do those on the inkstones. The figures on both the Li Gonglin scroll and the mother-of-pearl lacquer box appear more static, sitting on mats; while the figures on the current inkstones are quite animated, with much more movement and engaging in various activities. Lot 3255 shows a scholar with his feet in the stream, a scene reminiscent of that on a carved lacquer dish dated to the Yuan period, formerly in the Lee Family Collection and sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 Dec 2009, lot 1811. And the figures on lot 3256 are wearing hats that have only become fashionable in the Ming period (fig. 5), and would be unlikely to date earlier than Ming. It is very difficult to put a definitive date on these inkstones. The fact that some of these inkstones traditionally were dated to the Song period in the 18th century, as the example in the Xiqing Yanpu indicates, shows that they were thought to be antiques at the time. But it is obvious from their stylistic idiosyncrasies that at least some of them should be dated later. They should be viewed in a wider cultural context that have grown around the Lanting Gathering, an utopic event which has clearly resonated with the Chinese literati all through the ages, and which has given rise not only to the creation of these inkstones, but also the repeated transcription of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, the various versions of pictorial depictions, related poetry and other works of art of different media. As such, these precious inkstones from a remote area in the west of China are not only considered valuable accompaniment on a scholar's desk due to their status as a rare commodity that were once exclusively reserved for the Song Court, they are also works of art that had inspired many generations in a longing for the ultimate ideal in the scholar's mind.

A RARE RECTANGULAR 'ORCHID PAVILION' YAOHE INKSTONE

SONG/MING DYNASTY (960-1644)

Details

A RARE RECTANGULAR 'ORCHID PAVILION' YAOHE INKSTONE
SONG/MING DYNASTY (960-1644)
The rectangular stone is carved on the top with figures at the Orchid Pavilion, surrounding the inkwell carved and pierced in the form of a flowing stream and a flat irregularly-shaped palette. The four sides are carved in low relief with further scenes from the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, depicting scholars at leisure in a lush bamboo grove by the riverside. The underside is carved in relief with geese in a pond. The stone is of a dark greenish-brown tone.
9 1/2 in. (24 cm.) long, wood cover and stand, Japanese wood box

Provenance

Su Zhu An Collection, Kyoto

Literature

Komaiken: Togarokuseki, Tokyo: Nigensha, 1974, no. 52

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