INKSTONE: HAN DYNASTY (202BC-220CE);
BOX AND COVER: QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG MARK AND OF THE
PERIOD (1735-1796)
DIAMETER OF INKSTONE: 17CM;
DIAMETER OF BOX AND COVER: 17.8CM
The inkstone is converted from the reverse of a Han dynasty eaves roof tile end. The roof
tile is decorated and moulded in recess with four-characters reading Qianqiu wansui 千
秋萬歲 (“Thousand Autumns Myriad Years”) in seal script within a thin band.
As a further tribute to archaism, the surface of the box is dusted with specks of malachite
to emulate the encrustation of ageing bronzes. The cover and base of the box were
inlaid in mother-of-pearl with a corresponding inscription reading Han qianqiu wansui
wayan 漢千秋萬歲瓦研[ 硯] (“Han Dynasty Thousand Autumns Myriad Years Tile-End
Inkstone”), followed by two seals reading Qian 乾 and Long 隆.
As an avid collector of antiquities and patron of the arts, the Qianlong Emperor was
known to make notable commissions of scholar’s objects with reverence to the Han
culture. Inscribed circular roof-end tiles (also known as eaves tiles) were prolific during
the Han dynasty. These rustic, yet somewhat quaint bygones seemed to have fascinated
connoisseurs centuries thereafter. Many were reworked and endowed with renewed
function as inkstones and mirrors during the Tang and Song dynasties. Such fashion
continued into the 18th century, as some of these resuscitated objects of history were
further embellished with elaborate boxes and covers upon their acquisition by the Qing
court, as evident from the imperial records during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods.
A close example preserved in its original tile form is illustrated in Inscriptions and
Sculptures. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum 銘刻與雕塑 故
宮博物院藏文物珍品全集, Hong Kong, 2008, p. 48, Catalogue No. 53. Another Han
tiled inkstone without a covered box from the imperial collection is illustrated in the
National Palace Museum’s Wenfang Juying (Volume 1 of 2) 國立故宮博物院文房聚英（全
一冊）圖版篇, Taipei, 1993, pp. 6-7, Catalogue No. 3. Lacquered inkstone boxes with
similar crushed inlay are also known, see one inlaid in mother-of-pearl from the Nanjing
Museum, published in Zhongguo Wenfang Sibao Quanji Volume 2: Inkstones 中國文房
四寶全集2：硯, Beijing, 2007, p. 131, Catalogue No. 139.
| 漢 「千秋萬歲」瓦當硯 及 |
| 清乾隆 | 御賞黑漆嵌螺鈿孔雀石寶盒 |
| 「千秋萬歲」「漢千秋萬歲瓦硯」款 | |
| 「乾」「隆」印 |
