Page 128 - Sothebys Important Chinese Art April 3 2018

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AN INSCRIBED IMPERIAL OCTAGONAL 清乾隆 歙石八方御製詩「仿唐觀象硯」
INKSTONE 《乾隆丙申新正御銘》款
MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG 「德充符」、「會心不遠」印
(IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1776)
來源：
the black inkstone of flat octagonal form, carved to one side 繭山龍泉堂，東京，1987年10月
with a slightly graded surface pooling the water in a small
well, the reverse with a recessed based inscribed with two 日本私人收藏
平野古陶軒，東京
seals, De chong fu (‘Sign of virtue within’) and Huixin buyuan
(‘Enlightened mind not far’), below a five-character title at the 香港蘇富比2011年4月8日，編號2810
top, reading fang Tang Guanxiang yan (‘Imitation Tang dynasty
observing heaven inkstone’) followed by a long poem dated to 刻文：
the bingshen year (in accordance with 1776), wood box 古聖觀象，意在筆前。卦雖畫入，理具先天。
14.4 cm, 5⅝ in. 伊誰製硯，義闡韋編。四維四隅，匪方匪圓。
弗設奇偶，全體備焉。玩辭是資，選石倣旃。滴露研朱，
PROVENANCE
用佐窮年。
Mayuyama & Co. Ltd, Tokyo, October 1987.
A Japanese private collection.
Hirano Kotoken, Tokyo.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8th April 2011, lot 2810.
HK$ 500,000-700,000
US$ 64,000-90,000

The inscription can be translated as follows:
The ancient sage observed heaven,
And put his ideas to pen.
Although eight trigrams were drawn,
Their principles were primordial.
Who has made this inkstone
To expound on The Book of Change?
With four sides and four corners,
Neither a square nor a circle,
Further adding yin and yang,
Now all components are present.
Playful words to add on it,
Choosing a stone to imitate it.
Dripping dew to grind ink red,
It will aid me till the end of day.
The present inkstone takes its form from one of the ten old
inkstones from the Palace collection chosen by the Qianlong
Emperor in the 14th year of his reign (1749) to be bestowed
with a name and dating. The first of these inkstones was an
octagonal Duan stone, named Guanxiang and attributed to
the Tang period by the Emperor. A closely related She stone
example was included in the exhibition The Imperial Studio,
Littleton and Hennessey Asian Art, London, 2009, cat. no. 15,
which also includes a discussion of the context of this type of
inscribed octagonal inkstone. For a duan inkstone inscribed
with an imperial poem and carved in the form of a Han tile see
one sold in these rooms, 30th November 1980, lot 580.

126 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比