Inkstone with Fitted Box, early 19th century
Lu T'ungexpand_more
Red and black lacquer with engraved-gold decoration and sand lacquer inkstoneexpand_more
Gift of Ruth and Bruce Daytonexpand_more 97.87.4a-c
On View in Gallery 218expand_more
One of the more unusual uses of lacquer during Ming and Qing was the production of inkstones. This circular stone has the right texture and porosity to make a good grinding utensil yet it is lighter and easier to carry than a stone or ceramic version. The circular cover of the fitted box is decorated with the "filled-in and engraved-gold" technique (tianqi). It displays ginkgo leaves, longan berries, cherries, and lychee on top with a more formal lotus scroll motif decorating its side register. All of these auspicious plants are outlined in gold and the general style can be seen as a revival of the Wanli period (1573-1619). The bottom of the base bears the mark of Lu Tong, a late eighteenth-early nineteenth-century lacquer artist.
Details
- Title
- Inkstone with Fitted Box
- Artist Life
- active late 18th -early 19th century
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 97.87.4a-c
- Curator Approved
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