Page 160 - Beyond Compare Christie's Hong Kong RU WARE .pdf
P. 160
BEYOND COMPARE: A Thousand Years of the Literati Aesthetic
uan stones are the most admired materials for grinding ink, and
Dhad been mined from Zhaoqing, Guangzhou as early as the
Tang dynasty. The stones are known for their smoothness, which allows
for easier grinding without damaging the brushes. Duan stones contain
several kinds of veining and patterns, one of the most desirable attributes is
the ‘eye’, which is a natural inclusion that exists in the form of concentric
circles. The value of an inkstone depends on the number and quality of
the ‘eyes’. Its desirability is determined by the quantity of ‘eyes’ present,
their roundness, size, and colour intensity of the concentric circles. An
‘eye’ that resembles a crested myna is the rarest and receives the highest
praise, such as the ones found on the present inkstone.
One of the most famous and widely recorded Duan inkstones is from the
Qing Court collection, and now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Of no more than 15 cm. long, the inkstone has more than sixty ‘eyes’,
with an incised inscription signed Su Shi, and a further inscription by the
Qianlong Emperor. Of comparable quality is another Duan inkstone in
the Palace Museum, Beijing, which is very similar in size (27 cm. long)
and form to the present inkstone. The quality of ‘eyes’ is comparable
among these three inkstones, with the present inkstone having the fewest
in number, but some of largest and most distinctive. The carver of the
present inkstone had ingeniously utilised the ‘eyes’ in the stone and
worked them into cylinders of different heights to represent the Twenty-
Eight Mansions of the Chinese Constellation System, across from a single
‘eye’ at one corner symbolising the moon, echoing the scene projected by
one of Cao Zhi’s (AD 192-232) poems: ‘shadow under the clear moon,
constellations across the sky’.
The underside of the accompanying box cover bears a calligraphic
inscription signed by an unrecorded scholar Shimoda Kozan in 1938,
inscriptions on box cover and inside cover
in which he praised the quality of the inkstone and provided the names ⯯ՇǏ⯯ᖳՉ㤚㧍㘝
of two previous owners, the sinologist Nagao Uzan (1864-1942), and
poet Matsunaga Shuji (1884-1972). On the inside cover within the box
are three additional inscriptions signed by the renowned sinologist Ono
Shozan (1880-1952), who is known for his extensive research on the Four
Treasures of a Scholar’s Studio, brushes, ink cakes, papers, and inkstones.
In one of the inscriptions dated 1943, he mentiond that the inkstone
was sold by Shimoda Kozan to Matsubayashi Gadai, when the former
needed money on an occasion when Matsubayashi Gadai was visiting
Ono Shozan.
ಅഓ၌ͩd˄̦όdϫяɓοdϫɪ˙Ϟɓ৷fߠяң˓ᅵુ Ϟʬɤɧࡈݒd͵ൖމ˰ޜۜfϤٙሯήeͩ७ၾ༈ɚԷɤ
ɨdુࠦ৷ɨ፹ໝɚɤɘݒdՉʕɚɤɞࡈᖯΐɓਉdϞ߰ɚɤ ʱᗳЧdҖՓeˉʂၾܝ٫ˈՉЧfϤٙͩᅰඎᒱ༰ˇdШε
ɞd̤ɓݒᘔ֢ɓඣdνೱ˜٤dၾʝሾ݈fҗֽ ᅰɦɽ˲dቃ࿊ʱdၯၠʕ੭ሱe၀ഃЍd˲ʕː੭ᐘdΈ
ಔ་ʕה༸j˜ᆋᅂdΐ͍ਞࢨʘઋ౻f ᆦdމとdୌΥəɛюᖬϋ၌қʕ࿁ͩٙ௰৷൙
ᄆj൮၀Ͼʔ൮රd൮ʔ൮ڗd൮ජʔ൮fݴஷჯਹʕঐ
၌ͩପᄿ؇ၴᅅdၴᅅ̚၈၌ψd݂Τf၌ͩމʕІ̚˸Ը௰ޜ
༾ϤԳdྼ᙮ᗭf
൮ٙҿdІࡥ˾ක՟ʘႡdˈସ҂˾f၌ͩܓቇʕd೯
ኈɦʔฦ૩dՉІ್͛ϓٙͩ७εᅵd˸ͩ௰ՈतЍԨաޜ ϤৣϞڀૣࢭeႊdʿ˚͉˝ଷfኽ˝ଷႊʫʿႊؐɪٙᕚο
ൖfͩމ˂್ͩࣨd˸͍తeЍॸᐿeัᄴࠠᛌً߰ ̙ٝϤڐϵϋʫ˚͉ݴෂٙዝ̦f˝ଷႊʫϞთdމɨ͞ߡʆ
とɞࡩ٫௰Գf҂ᆄජࡌᗅj၌̈၌nϞと طɤɧϋ הᕚdՉʕႭϤಀܝމ˚͉ဏኪڗ҈
މ൮f ڠʆ eဂɛؒ͑մɚ הfଷʫႊؐᕐ
ࠦϞɧݬᕚთdޫމʃᒤʆ הᕚdՉʕՇݬމ
ᔚᔛɓ˙၌ͩତdߠݒεЇʬɤቱݒdՉਉኣБࣣ
طɤɞϋ ϋᕚfთʕʃᒤʆાࠑəɨ͞ߡʆΪܢც͜፺݂
თdಛj༲d݂ಀႩމ݊̏҂ɽ˖Ⴔᘽ༲ʘᔚيfՉ ც௲ฌϤʚؒ؍ඩ̨ʘԫfʃᒤʆdʆdމٝΤဏኪeࣣ
৷֚თdৣϞࠈႡᕚ˝ଷdԨಀ༱Гᗅ՜ɞࠫˍɘd جdഛᄏ༸dˈ˸Ӻ˖ג̬ᘒၲΤf
ԑԈՉաࠠൖٙܓf̏ԯ݂௹ي৫̤Ϟɓ˙҂˾ٙ၌ͩdߠ
148 ʔɭ { ҂˾ߕኪɓɷϋ
