Flora and Fauna Inkstone

Scholarly pursuits such as painting, calligraphy, and poetry were a highly respected and revered subculture in ancient China, and demanded their own set of tools that were not only functional, but also beautiful. One of the "Four Treasures of the Study," inkstones such as this were used to mix dry ink with water for use in calligraphy painting. This 19th-century inkstone is carved with a water well that follows the shape of the auspicious birds and flowers that define it. The minimal design is framed by subtle beading, in turn framed by the inkstone's original hardwood case.