Inkstone with a Design of Plum Blossoms and Inscription by Wu Changshi
Wu Changshuo
Asian Art
On View: Asian Galleries, West, 2nd floor (China)
This ink stone was used in the preparation of fresh ink, by rubbing an ink stick in water on the smooth side of the stone. Here, the reverse side of the ink stone is shown so that the inscription and carved plum blossoms can be seen. Wu Changshuo (1844–1927, also known as Wu Changshi) was a prominent calligrapher, painter, and seal artist in the late Qing dynasty. Although Wu carved many seals, he carved very few ink stones, aside from this rare example. The inscription of seven characters in large seal script—“The words and fate of a gentleman are like those of a king” (yan ming jun zi qi ru wang)—is followed by the artist’s signature and the date, “second month, ninth day, 1909.”
MEDIUM
Stone relief
DATES
1909
DYNASTY
Qing Dynasty
PERIOD
Qing Dynasty
DIMENSIONS
1 1/4 x 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (3.2 x 19.7 x 19.7 cm)
(show scale)
INSCRIPTIONS
On the back of the stone is an inscription of seven characters in large seal script reading "Yan ming jun zi qi ru wang" followed by the artist's signature and the date in small characters, reading "Yi you er yue jiu ri / Changshi Wu Jun" (Yi you year, i. e. 1909, 2nd month, 9th day, Wu Changshi)
ACCESSION NUMBER
1996.119
CREDIT LINE
Purchased with funds given by Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Dickes and Roger and Carolyn in memory of Jeffrey Frank Wacks and Caroline A.L. Pratt Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
A Chinese scholar's inkstone roughly oval in shape, of stone type to be determined, varying in color from a deep red-green to gray-green with occasional veins of warm white, the inkstone formed from a section of a natural boulder, retaining in general the contour of the original stone as the shape of the inkstone. The ink grinding surface has an oval reservoir at the top, the surface surrounded by a slightly raised ridge and sloping almost imperceptibly to the center.
On the back of the stone is a design of flowering plum blossoms and an inscription of seven characters of large seal script reading 'Yan ming junzi qi ru wang' followed by the artist's signature and date in small characters, reading ' Yiyou eryue jiuri/ Changshi Wu Jun'
CAPTION
Wu Changshuo (Chinese, 1844–1927). Inkstone with a Design of Plum Blossoms and Inscription by Wu Changshi, 1909. Stone relief, 1 1/4 x 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (3.2 x 19.7 x 19.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Dickes and Roger and Carolyn in memory of Jeffrey Frank Wacks and Caroline A.L. Pratt Fund, 1996.119. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 1996.119_front_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
front, 1996.119_front_PS9.jpg., 2019
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