.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The hollowed base is carved with an archaistic square seal to the centre, yi zisun, ‘blessings for future generations’, surrounded by an Imperial poem signed Qianlong yuti, ‘Imperial composition' by the Emperor Qianlong, followed by seal de chong fu, ‘Virtue within'. The surface is applied with a russet and green lacquer to imitate painted bronze.The imperial poem is recorded in Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji: yuzhishi, vol. 4, juan 82 (fig. 1).
The present style of inkstone where the grinding surface is surrounded by an indented ink well is known as 'Shiqu'. Shiqu was the name of the library in the Han palace Weiyanggong. It is allegedly built by Xiao He (257-193BC) and was constructed with a moat around it, in order to facilitate fire-fighting for the vulnerable books. Several inkstones in the Qing court collection are found in this style, from as early as the Han dynasty to archaistic examples made during the Qianlong period. A Song 'Shiqu' inkstone made of chengni clay in the Palace Museum, Beijing, shares a similar form to the present inkstone, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, The Four Treasures of the Study – Writing Paper and Inkstones, Hong Kong, 2005, no. 97, pp. 146-147. Compare also to a Duan example of the Qianlong period of this form carved with the same Imperial poem from the Jiansongge collection, sold at Beijing Guardian, 16 May 2010, lot 2412, and a rectangular Duan 'Shiqu' inkstone of the Qianlong period, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3377 (fig. 2).
The present style of inkstone where the grinding surface is surrounded by an indented ink well is known as 'Shiqu'. Shiqu was the name of the library in the Han palace Weiyanggong. It is allegedly built by Xiao He (257-193BC) and was constructed with a moat around it, in order to facilitate fire-fighting for the vulnerable books. Several inkstones in the Qing court collection are found in this style, from as early as the Han dynasty to archaistic examples made during the Qianlong period. A Song 'Shiqu' inkstone made of chengni clay in the Palace Museum, Beijing, shares a similar form to the present inkstone, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, The Four Treasures of the Study – Writing Paper and Inkstones, Hong Kong, 2005, no. 97, pp. 146-147. Compare also to a Duan example of the Qianlong period of this form carved with the same Imperial poem from the Jiansongge collection, sold at Beijing Guardian, 16 May 2010, lot 2412, and a rectangular Duan 'Shiqu' inkstone of the Qianlong period, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3377 (fig. 2).