Ink-stone
BackDescription:
Porcelain rectangular ink slab and cover with underglaze blue decoration. This rectangular ink slab has stepped edges and a slightly domed cover which does not fit well. The base is double layered and there are two quatrefoil openings in it. Inside, the ink slab itself is unglazed apart from a quatrefoil indent in which the ground ink powder could be mixed with water for calligraphy. The top of the cover is painted with a square filled with Arabic calligraphy, surrounded by 'ruyi' heads on each side and by a larger diamond-shaped frame; two single roundels each containing further Arabic inscriptions are painted above and below this. The sides of the cover are painted with 'ruyi' heads and dots. The base is decorated with 'ruyi' scrolls on the sides and a six-character Zhengde reign mark in a double square on the centre of the base.
Object type: | ink-stone |
Museum number: | Franks.147.a |
Culture/period: | Ming dynasty, Zhengde (mark and period) |
Date: | 1506-1521 |
Production place: | Made in: Jingdezhen |
Findspot: | Found/Acquired: Beijing |
Materials: | porcelain |
Technique: | glazed, underglazed |
Dimensions: | Length: 24.80 cm Width: 14.00 cm Height: 7.00 cm |
Inscriptions: | Inscription details: inscription (top roundel of the lid) in Arabic script Inscription quoted: Inscription transliteration: alaykum bi-husn al-khatt Inscription translation: Encumbant on you is excellence of penmanship Inscription: Inscription details: inscription (top of the lid, within the square) in Arabic script Inscription quoted: Inscription transliteration: fa-innahu min mafatih Inscription translation: For it is among the keys Inscription: Inscription details: inscription (bottom roundel of the lid) in Arabic script Inscription quoted: Inscription transliteration: al-rizq Inscription translation: To blessing Inscription: Inscription details: mark (base) in Chinese Inscription quoted: Inscription transliteration: Da Ming Zhengde Nian Zhi Inscription translation: Made in the Zhengde reign of the Ming dynasty Inscription note: Six-character Zhengde reign mark in a double square. |
Location: | 15 |
Exhibition history: | Exhibited: |
Associated names: | Associated with: Zhengde Emperor 正德皇帝 |
Acquisition names: | Donated by: Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks |
Curator's comments:
Harrison-Hall 2001: The three inscriptions of the lid were translated by Sir A.W. Franks in 1876 as "Strive for excellence in penmanship, for it is one of the keys of livelihood". According to common Islamic belief, being a good Arabic calligrapher could bring one closer to God. The same inscription may be found on the cover of a box in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; this cover appears to be married to a base from a different object.
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