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Source Description
This inkstone is particularly noteworthy for its inscriptions in two styles. The base shows four characters in seal script (<em>zhuanshu</em>) expressing auspicious, or favorable wishes, while the characters on the side in standard script (<em>kaishu</em>) record the name of the workshop and that of the collector’s studio.<br>Inkstones were used to grind solid ink cakes with the addition of water to produce liquid ink for brush painting and calligraphy.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
540412
label
Inkstone in the Shape of a Roof Tile with Seal Script Characters
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
540412
contentType
object
title
Inkstone in the Shape of a Roof Tile with Seal Script Characters
description
This inkstone is particularly noteworthy for its inscriptions in two styles. The base shows four characters in seal script (<em>zhuanshu</em>) expressing auspicious, or favorable wishes, while the characters on the side in standard script (<em>kaishu</em>) record the name of the workshop and that of the collector’s studio.<br>Inkstones were used to grind solid ink cakes with the addition of water to produce liquid ink for brush painting and calligraphy.
date
1700s–1800s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q121092826
creators
540415
genreSpecific
Stone
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 14.9 cm (5 7/8 in.)
cul
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
accession
2023.5
Source extras
tec
She stone
tombstone
Inkstone in the Shape of a Roof Tile with Seal Script Characters (歙石仿漢瓦當硯), 1700s–1800s. Workshop of Jian Guzhai. She stone; diameter: 14.9 cm (5 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund, 2023.50
titleInOriginalLanguage
歙石仿漢瓦當硯
collection
China - Qing Dynasty
inscriptions
inscription
七葉永祥
inscription_translation
Four large seal script characters reading, qi ye yong xiang ("eternal good fortune for seven generations"), within fan-shaped cartouches encircling a central boss
sortorder
1
inscription
「鑑古齋仿製」
「穎川春暉館文寶」
inscription_translation
The kaishu inscriptions on the sides may be read as jiangu zhai fangzhi (made in emulation [of a Han eaves-tile] at the Studio of Appreciation of Antiquity) and Yingchuan Chunhui guan wenbao (cultural treasure of Springtime Sun Hall in Yingchuan).
sortorder
2
didYouKnow
The four large seal script characters on the base of this inkstone, 七葉永祥, may be read as "eternal good fortune for seven generations."
citations
citation
J.J. Lally & Co, and Richard John Lynn. <em>Elegantly made: art for the Chinese literati</em> [<em>雅製 : 中國文人藝術 = Ya zhi: Zhongguo wen ren yi shu</em>]. New York: J.J. Lally & Co., 2020.
page_number
no. 25
citation
"Permanent Collection Installations.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>65, no. 3 (2024): 16–17.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 17; Mentioned: p. 16
creditline
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:10:53.859000
sourceId
540412
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Qing Dynasty
med
She stone
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
5dc8aab94c58d95b