Cleveland Museum of Art

Inkstone in the Shape of a Roof Tile with Seal Script Characters

Workshop of Jian Guzhai

Date

1700s–1800s

Medium

She stone

Culture

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This inkstone is particularly noteworthy for its inscriptions in two styles. The base shows four characters in seal script ( zhuanshu ) expressing auspicious, or favorable wishes, while the characters on the side in standard script ( kaishu ) record the name of the workshop and that of the collector’s studio. Inkstones were used to grind solid ink cakes with the addition of water to produce liquid ink for brush painting and calligraphy. The four large seal script characters on the base of this inkstone, 七葉永祥, may be read as "eternal good fortune for seven generations."

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