Carved Chinese Inkstone with Longevity Symbols and Marks

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Description

A black carved Chinese inkstone with an conforming oval cover circa early 20th century (late Qing to Republic period). The … Read more A black carved Chinese inkstone with an conforming oval cover circa early 20th century (late Qing to Republic period). The inkstone appears to be slate stone and was likely a She type (SheYan), one of the four famous inkstones in China that comes from She County (Anhui Province) and Wuyuan County (Jiangxi Province). It features a slight scalloping edge with elaborate surface carving that depicts the Sanxings (three beloved gods): Fu, God of Fortune (top right), Lu, God of Prosperity (top center holding a Ruyi staff) and Shou, God of Longevity (center on the lid who is holding a magical peach and a staff with a gourd with a deer at the back) . A towering evergreen pine was placed on the left with scrolling clouds and bats (the sound of bat in Chinese is Fu, the fortune). A famous Chinese couplet flanks the lid that reads "Fortune is like the East Sea without bound; Longevity is like the Southern Mountain that never age". On the back of the inkstone, there is a mark in an archaic calligraphy "WenBaoZhai" (Literature Treasture Studio), which was the maker of this piece.
Inkstones had a history of thousands of years in Chinese culture and it was deemed as one of the four precious items for a scholar's study. Many were collected as artefact throughout history and pass down as family heirlooms. See less