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Lot Essay
The material of the present inkstone is Songhua stone, harvested in the upper reaches of the Songhua River in the Changbai Mountain region of northeast China. Appreciated for its compact, fine-grained structure and smooth polish, Songhua stone is notably hard and dense. The finest examples range from deep to pale and tender greens, often distinguished by clearly articulated horizontal “brushed-silk” veining.
The Kangxi Emperor prized Songhua inkstones both for their distinctive color and texture and for their reputed practical virtues. Scholars frequently credit the material with the ability to “raise ink and benefit the brush”—that is, to take ink readily while remaining gentle on the tip of the brush—qualities that helped elevate Songhua stone to a favored medium for imperial presentation and inscription.
The reverse of the present inkstone is carved with an imperial poem: “壽古而質潤，色綠而聲清，起墨益毫，故其寶也。” This may be translated as “ancient in age yet smooth in quality; green in hue and clear in tone; it raises ink and benefits the brush—therefore it is treasured.” The lines succinctly summarize the material’s prized attributes: venerable antiquity, a warm, refined texture, an emerald coloration, and a crisp resonance when lightly struck. The same inscription appears on other high-quality Songhua inkstones, including an example carved with dragon in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated by Chi Jo-hsin in A Study of the Songhua Inkstone Tradition: Special Exhibition of Songhua Inkstone, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1993.
The Kangxi Emperor prized Songhua inkstones both for their distinctive color and texture and for their reputed practical virtues. Scholars frequently credit the material with the ability to “raise ink and benefit the brush”—that is, to take ink readily while remaining gentle on the tip of the brush—qualities that helped elevate Songhua stone to a favored medium for imperial presentation and inscription.
The reverse of the present inkstone is carved with an imperial poem: “壽古而質潤，色綠而聲清，起墨益毫，故其寶也。” This may be translated as “ancient in age yet smooth in quality; green in hue and clear in tone; it raises ink and benefits the brush—therefore it is treasured.” The lines succinctly summarize the material’s prized attributes: venerable antiquity, a warm, refined texture, an emerald coloration, and a crisp resonance when lightly struck. The same inscription appears on other high-quality Songhua inkstones, including an example carved with dragon in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated by Chi Jo-hsin in A Study of the Songhua Inkstone Tradition: Special Exhibition of Songhua Inkstone, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1993.