A CARVED IVORY INK REST

MING DYNASTY, 16TH TO 17TH CENTURY

LENGTH: 18CM

The wide ink rest has five ridges carved along its length which curl inward, elevating the main plank.In the Ming period, a variety of scholar’s implements such as the present example were used for multiple purposes and from a variety of different materials. This particular object can be also used as a brush stand, a wrist rest, or a scroll weight.

SIMILAR EXAMPLE
A zitan example is illustrated in the National Palace Museum catalogue Treasures from the Scholar’s Studio 國立故宮博物院文房聚英, Kyoto, 1992, p. 134, Catalogue No. 99.

明十六世紀牙雕弦紋墨床