ink stone

ink stone , late 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Where object was made: China

Material/technique: duan stone

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Length (Height x Width x Length): 2.5 x 13 x 20.3 cm
Object Height/Width/Length (Height x Width x Length): 1 x 5 1/8 x 8 in

Credit line: Gift of Irma Lutz Ebnother in memory of her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Ernest J. Lutz

Accession number: 1979.0059

Not on display

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The inkstone was one of the "Four Treasures" of a Chinese scholar-artist's studio. Chinese ink was stored as a hard, dry cake, which was ground on a moistened inkstone to form a concentrated black liquid. Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) inkstones were made of earthenware or bronze. By the Tang (618-906), the earlier concave shape had been replaced by a flat surface with a depression to hold the liquid ink, and earthenware and stone had replaced bronze as the preferred materials. In the Sung dynasty (960-1279), inkstones became admired as works of art as well as for their grinding properties. Fine inkstones were named and their sides, backs and even containers were engraved with poems by generations of connoisseurs in much the same way that colophons were added to antique scrolls. A bridge over the well on this inkstone transforms the utilitarian depression into a pond, suggesting the gardens that were an important part of a Chinese gentleman's surroundings.