Beschreibung:

An Inscribed Cinnabar Lacquer Songhua Inkstone Set Mark and Period of Yongzheng, Dated 1724 of circular form with straight sides supported on five short narrow feet, the cover with a slightly raised top finely incised and gilt with a twelve-column inscription titled Shiyan fu ('Ode to ink stone') and dated to the ninth day of the ninth month of the second year of the Yongzheng reign (1724), followed by two seals bijing ('excellent writing') and momiao ('incredible ink'), the interior lacquered in black, the sage-green Songhua stone typically streaked with golden veins, finely carved with a smoothly polished central ink grinding surface encircled by a groove and a continuous leafy scroll in low relief around the rounded edge, the recessed base inscribed with a four-character incised reign mark 12.9 cm., 5 1/8 in.