Lot 3046. A red-veined stone vase-shaped inkstone, Qing dynasty (1644-1911); 4 ½ in. (11.5 cm.) long, hongmu box and cover. Estimate HKD 280,000 - HKD 350,000. Price realised HKD 350,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021

The inkstone is carved in the shape of a flattened baluster vase finely incised with archaistic dragons and flanked by a pair of elephant-form handles, enclosing the smoothly polished ink well. The centre of the recessed underside is carved and gilt with a four-character Qianlong reign mark in seal script.

Note: The ‘red-veined’ stone is native to Shandong, and has been used as a material for carving inkstones since the Tang dynasty. Compare with a ‘red-veined’ inkstone with similar texture and colour incised with a Qianlong imperial poem praising its quality in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in The National Palace Museum’s Ancient Inkstones Illustrated in the Imperial Catalogue His-ch’ing yen-p’u, Taipei, 1997, p. 382-383, no. 83.

The box and cover accompanying this lot is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for further information..

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 28 May 2021