Page 176 - Beyond Compare Christie's Hong Kong RU WARE .pdf

BEYOND COMPARE: A Thousand Years of the Literati Aesthetic

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION

8019
RUAN YUAN’S GREEN DUAN INKSTONE MOUNTAIN ྗᅅɚɤʞϋ€ 
DATED JIAQING TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR, CORRESPONDING TO 1820 Ԥʩᕚᗆၠ၌ͩ˜ᑗᆊ߇Ѝ™޼ʆ
AND OF THE PERIOD
Ϥၠ၌ͩ޼ʆ᜗ۨ၂ਃd˸˂್ͩҖᝤމʆᏊ˳Ꮑi޼ʆ̛ᗙක̈ɓ
The Duan inkstone is cleverly worked into the shape of a rolling
mountain, detailed with ridges and valleys utilising the natural contours of ࡈ೸ϫdνʆ໐ɓح૶ݰdᆐ˥ࣙ߈ɓ෥ˆd೓ν׼˜ڋ؁i޼ʆʕ
the stone, the surface delicately carved in low relief with a panoply of trees ගϞɓଉᏁd̙Ъഅݹiʆͩڌࠦ˸૵ओᎉՍ̈؍˝ᕏ፹ʘ࿒dԨ˸
and waterfall to form an idyllic landscape, some of the stone’s yellowish ˂್රЍͩͤڌତ߇໢عߎʘ౻f
‘skin’ retained to represent coloured autumn leaves. At one end a small
concave well is hallowed out to serve as a brush washer, and two peaks are
თ˖j
hallowed to the top, possibly as receptacles for brushes. The back is incised
ᑗᆊ߇Ѝ
with two inscriptions, a signature and a seal reading:
ྗᅅɚɤʞϋЯࠑ੎ίຽ؇d੻၌๣̶ၠͩdᝤމ޼ʆ˛ ˜ᑗᆊ߇
Autumn Colours in Lintong
Ѝ™٫dাᔚඊɰd̮໙уοЯ˛j޼ʆӶl
In the twenty-fifth year of Jiaqing, I was in Yuedong arranging matters of
౮ψੵဢᗆf
matrimony, when I acquired this gigantic boulder from the Duan River. I (had
it) carved as a inkstone mountain, and titled it ‘Autumn Colours of Lintong’
to commemorate my place of origin. My uncle immediately wrote to me to say:
That’s an inkstone mountain! ၌๣ၠዾ
Written by Zhang Xi of Yangzhou ඕΙj
ଠ⬞⍩᎜
Green Boulder of Duan River
ڝༀ࣪ן˪f
Seal: Langhuan Qianguan
Ը๕
Together with a framed rubbing of the inkstone mountain.
ੵဢ€ 
24 Æ in. (63 cm.) long (2) Ԥʩ€ 
⧊ૼტޜᔛd̨̏
HK$6,000,000-8,000,000 US$770,000-1,000,000
˥ؒͩʆגޜᔛd ϋᒅ׵⧊ૼტ
PROVENANCE ഹ፽
Zhang Xi (1802-1822) Ԥʩd⏦຾܃ණ‘dୋɚණdୋʬ՜
Ruan Yuan (1764-1849)
Jiansongge Collection, Taipei
Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection, purchased from above in 2005
LITERATURE
Ruan Yuan, Yanjingshiji, vol. 2, juan 6

Rubbings of the present lot inscriptions
ᕴ⊝൶ሦḚ ח㘝

164 ʔɭ { ҂˾ߕኪɓɷϋ