Page 232 - J.J. Lally Chinese Art CHRISTIE'S March 23 2023 NYC

922 A WHITE DUAN SIZHIYANG 清ǭ白端⒢長方硯
RECTANGULAR INKSTONE
QING DYNASTY (1644-1911) Ϝ源
藍理捷
紐約
編號
The inkstone is carved with the grinding surface set within a
narrow frame and gently sloping into a recessed water well at one
end. The creamy-white stalactite stone has traces of red pigment.
5√ in. (14.9 cm.) long, fitted zitan box, cloth box
$6,000-8,000
PROVENANCE:
J. J. Lally & Co., New York, no. 4581.

The scientific term for this kind of Duan stone is stalactite.
A similar inkstone is illustrated by S. Kwan in Chinese Inkstones,
Hong Kong, 2005, pp. 278-279, no. 101, where the author
notes that because of the relative hardness and density of the
‘white Duan’ stone, the surface is too smooth for grinding ink,
but “… is more suited to working cinnabar pigments and other
materials.” He also relays the long history of the use of this rare
stone noting “In his Yan Jian (juan 3) the Song scholar Gao Sisun
records an example of an inkstone made from stalactite and so
we know that there is a long history of this material being used
to fashion inkstones.”

921 A SHE SIZHIYANG RECTANGULAR 宋ǭ歙⒢抄手硯
INKSTONE
SONG DYNASTY (AD 960-1279) Ϝ源
藍理捷
紐約
編號
The dark grey stone is carved with flat sides enclosing a sloping and
slightly domed platform for grinding the ink, which descends to a
deep water well at the closed end. The opposite end is open and the
underside is cut away. The smooth surface is lightly scratched with
indecipherable characters on three sides.
6º in. (15.9 cm.) long, cloth box
$800-1,200

PROVENANCE:
J. J. Lally & Co., New York, no. 1377.
An inkstone with four straight sides (sizhiyang) is illustrated by
S. Kwan in Chinese Inkstones, Hong Kong, 2005, pp. 146-147,
no. 34, where the author explains the other term commonly
used to describe this form of inkstone is chaoshou, which may
be a shortened phrase of chaoxie zhi shou or “copyist’s stone.”
(pp. 50-61)

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