AN INSCRIBED CYLINDRICAL ‘SHE’ INKSTONE QING DYNASTY, 18TH – 19TH CENTURY

the greenish-black she stone of circular form, one side with a slightly concave grinding surface and a crescent-shaped well within the rim, the other modelled after a Han dynasty eaves-tile centred with a boss and surrounded by four seal characters, reading Qiye yongxiang ('Eternal good fortune for seven generations'), each framed with raised edges, the narrow straight sides with two kaishu inscriptions, reading Jiangu zhai fang zhi ('Made in emulation [of a Han eaves-tile] at the Studio of Appreciation of Antiquity') and Yingchuan Chunhui guan wenbao ('Cultural Treasures of Springtime Sun Hall in Yingchuan'), lacquered kiri wood box and cover

A private Japanese collection.
Brian Harkins, London, January 2007.