Cleveland Museum of Art

Box with Ink Cakes: Blue Ink Cake in Shape of a Gui Scepter

Date

1795–1820

Medium

Molded ink in blue

Culture

China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Jiaqing reign (1795-1820)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Ink cakes (also called ink sticks) are dissolved with the addition of water and then ground on the surface of a flat square stone into liquid ink for painting and calligraphy. The precious ink cakes here, however, have never been used. The inscription on the side of the blue ink cake says that the set was commissioned by Chen Huai, Governor of Jiangxi Province.

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