Page 31 - Christies Asia Week 2015 Chinese Works of Art

PROPERTY FROM THE FAMILY OF K’UNG (two views)
HSIANG-HSI
2021
A RECTANGULAR DUAN INK STONE
KANGXI PERIOD, WITH A DATED
INSCRIPTION CORRESPONDING TO 1691

The well is carved with a longma supporting
books on its back and swimming in water,
and the reverse with a tortoise (luogui) and
an inscription referring to the scene. One
long side is signed Wumen Gu Erniang zao
(‘made by Gu Erniang of Wumen’), and the
other side bears a further inscription referring
to the horse carrying the books, followed by
a Kangxi xingwei cyclical date corresponding
to 1691, and a signature, Gao Shiqi.
Ink stone, 8¿ in. (20.6 cm.) long, ftted
wood box

$30,000-50,000

PROVENANCE:

The K’ung Hsiang-Hsi (Kong Xiangxi,
1881- 1967) Collection, New York, and
thence by descent within the family.

The longma (literally ‘dragon horse’) was an
auspicious creature that, according to legend,
emerged from the Yellow River and revealed
itself to Fuxi, the frst of the three legendary
sovereigns of ancient China. The markings
on the longma’s back inspired Fuxi to invent
the Eight Trigrams, which led to the invention
of writing and calligraphy, represented by
the books on the creature’s back. The luogui
(‘tortoise of the Luo River’) was another
auspicious creature which emerged from the Luo
River and revealed itself to Yu, the frst emperor
of the Xia dynasty. Legend has it that Yu became
a great emperor who ruled the country with the
wisdom he obtained from the scrolls the luogui
carried on its back.

Gao Shiqi (1645-1704) was a well-known Qing
dynasty scholar known for his knowledge in
classic literature, paintings and calligraphy
and worked closely with the Kangxi Emperor.
In addition to the reference to longma, the
inscription also states that he used the present
ink stone to grind red ink for commenting
books.

清康熙
高士奇銘端石「河圖洛書」硯
刻款：吳門顧二娘造

(inscriptions)

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