A Massive Inscribed Tile-shaped Inkstone Late Qing Dynasty

the stone carved in the form of a rectangular tile arched in the middle and slanted on the long sides, the centre carved with an oblong channel slightly squared off to one side surrounding the smooth, slightly concave grinding surface, framed by cursive and running script calligraphy by Wen Peng (1498-1573) and Wang Wenzhi (1730-1802), all above a third horizontal inscription in seal script reading Guoyunlou cang (‘Collection of Guoyunlou’), signed Yu Yue (1821-1907),  the stone of dark gray tone, fitted on a later wooden stand with a drawer

The Guoyunlou collection, Suzhou.

As visible in the catalogue photo, there are minor bruises and losses to the edges, and minor surface wear to the top. However, the inscription is clearly legible. The colour in the catalogue photo is fairly accurate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The inscription can be translated as: "Zhou Guan, zi Maofu, likes to drink. Once drunk he follows his desires and paints people with his fine brush. Invariably he manages to capture their form and spirit, even without embellishment with colour. He is a good friend of Zhang Mengjun, who is also skilled at painting and fond of drinking. Whenever people of Wu obtain a painting by Zhou Guan, they treasure it. Why do painters all capture the spirit after drinking wine, like Zhang Xu in his calligraphy? I came across this piece by Maofu and inscribed after it."

Zhou Guan (15th-16th century) was proficient in line drawing, and especially in drawing the figural subject of the Eight Immortals in Wine. He is recorded in both Minghua lu and Shiqu baoji. Wen Peng (1498-1573) was a late-Ming literatus and the eldest son of the Wu painter Wen Zhengming. He was a skilled painter, calligrapher, and seal-carver especially renowned for his calligraphy in seal and clerical scripts.

The left side of the ink stone is inscribed with an excerpt of Wang Wenzhi’s colophon to Pan Gongshou’s painting album Lianchao ziyin shiyi tu (Lianchao’s Poetic Ideas Illustrated), dated to 1792. The excerpt reads: “I wrote these [poems] seven years ago. Recently Yaoqing mounted this album and left an empty sheet on each page for me to inscribe. From my old poems I selected the ones related to the paintings and wrote them in imitation of Lianchao for his correction. Noted again by Wenzhi on the fourth day of the first month of the Renzi year.” A seal reading Wang Wenzhi yin follows the text. The album in question was in the Gong family’s Xiuhailou collection and published in Wang Yunwu, ed., Pan Wang hebi, Taipei, 1974. Wang Wenzhi (1730-1802), a native of Dantu, Jiangsu, was the Third Graduate in the Palace Examination of 1760 and served as Reader-in-Waiting at the Hanlin Academy. He was a skilled writer and calligrapher, specialising in the running script. He and Liu Yong (1719-1805) were together known as “heavy-ink Prime Minister and light-ink Third Graduate.”

The bottom of the ink stone is inscribed Guoyunlou cang ('Collection of Guoyunlou') in seal script. The inscription is signed “Yu Yue.” Yu Yue (1821-190) became a Metropolitan Graduate in 1850 and served as Compiler at the Hanlin Academy; Assistant Compiler at the Historiography Institute; and Education Commissioner of Henan Province. In 1856, he was removed from office after receiving criticism at court. Afterwards he constructed Quyuan (Garden of the Yielding), named after the line “the bent [i.e. yielding] is preserved whole” in the Laozi. Late in life, Yu lectured at the Gujing Jingshe in Hangzhou, counting among his students Zhang Binglin (1869-1936) and Wu Changshuo (1844-1927). A close associate of Gu Wenbin, he wrote a preface to Gu’s Meilülou ci and Yuyuanji, praising the garden’s miraculous rocks, crooked paths, and tranquil lakes.