清光緒至民國 沈汝瑾製端石淺雕人物圖圓硯 「元微之先生肖像圖」字「石友」印

the grey-green stone inscribed along the edge in lishu reading Yuan Weizhi xiansheng xiaoxiang ('a portrait of Mr. Yuanwei') followed by one seal of the artist Shiyou ('friend of the stone'), with a depiction in low relief of the Tang poet Yuan Zhen (779-831) in scholarly attire, the reverse with a gently sloping trough for grinding ink, wood box

元稹（779-831），字微之，籍貫河南洛陽。與白居易熱絡，世並稱二人「元白」，同倡「新樂府」。沈汝瑾（1858-1917），號石友，江蘇常熟人。善詩詞，好藏硯。