Inkstone with Su Wu

18th–19th century

Not on view

The back of this inkstone is adorned with a picture of Su Wu (d. 60 B.C.), an emissary of the Han dynasty who was detained by a nomadic ruler to tend goats in the frigid steppeland of southern Siberia. It is carved out of a fine-grained stone with natural markings that was quarried in Shaoxiang, Guangdong Province. Its low water permeability and low absorbency, as well as the inclusion of moderately hard grains within its fine structures, make it an excellent material for inkstones.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

清蘇武牧羊圖端硯
Title: Inkstone with Su Wu
Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: 18th–19th century
Culture: China
Medium: Duanxi slate
Dimensions: H. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm); W. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm); D. 1 in. (2.5 cm)
Classification: Inkstone
Credit Line: Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number: 2015.500.6.18a–c
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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