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Source Description
Ink cakes (also called ink sticks) are dissolved with the addition of water and then ground on the surface of a flat square stone into liquid ink for painting and calligraphy. The precious ink cakes here, however, have never been used.<br><br>The inscription on the side of the blue Gui scepter-shaped ink cake says that the set was commissioned by Chen Huai, Governor of Jiangxi province. The green and bright red ink cakes take the forms of archaic dragons. The dull red ink cake resembles a brocade knot. The yellow cake shaped like the Buddhist "Wheel of the Law" is inscribed on the reverse.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
121889
label
Box with Ink Cakes
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
121889
contentType
object
title
Box with Ink Cakes
description
Ink cakes (also called ink sticks) are dissolved with the addition of water and then ground on the surface of a flat square stone into liquid ink for painting and calligraphy. The precious ink cakes here, however, have never been used.<br><br>The inscription on the side of the blue Gui scepter-shaped ink cake says that the set was commissioned by Chen Huai, Governor of Jiangxi province. The green and bright red ink cakes take the forms of archaic dragons. The dull red ink cake resembles a brocade knot. The yellow cake shaped like the Buddhist "Wheel of the Law" is inscribed on the reverse.
date
1795–1820
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80018146
genreSpecific
Lacquer
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Case: 26.4 x 19.1 cm (10 3/8 x 7 1/2 in.); Lid: 26.5 x 19.2 cm (10 7/16 x 7 9/16 in.)
cul
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Jiaqing reign (1795-1820)
accession
1942.206
Source extras
tec
Lacquer and silk box; molded ink in red, yellow, blue, and green
tombstone
Box with Ink Cakes, 1795–1820. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Jiaqing reign (1795-1820). Lacquer and silk box; molded ink in red, yellow, blue, and green; case: 26.4 x 19.1 cm (10 3/8 x 7 1/2 in.); lid: 26.5 x 19.2 cm (10 7/16 x 7 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Henry W. Kent, 1942.206
collection
China - Qing Dynasty
inscriptions
inscription
江西巡撫臣陳淮恭
inscription_remark
Text on the side of the blue ink cake says that the set was commissioned by Chen Huai, Governor of Jiangxi Province.
sortorder
1
citations
citation
Hollis, Howard. “A Gift of Chinese Inks.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 33, no. 1 (January 1946): 3–11.
citation
Kathman, Barbara A. <em>A Cleveland Bestiary</em>. Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 22; Mentioned: p. 22, p. 61
citation
Wilson, J. Keith. "Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 77, no. 8 (1990): 286-323.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. no. 21, p. 317
creditline
Gift of Henry W. Kent
sketchfabId
0793453a7569474e868c922f7d78c7e8
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:16:53.690000
sourceId
121889
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Qing Dynasty
med
Lacquer and silk box; molded ink in red, yellow, blue, and green
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
35467f9bca38ee8f