Ming/Qing dynastyThe shallow octagonal inkstone cut with a plain circular center below a tri-lobed water-ink well, the brown and beige-mottled underside carved with a recessed circular panel with a lengthy inscription and with shallow rising sides further inscribed with three characters, with equally spaced short cylindrical legs. 6in (15.2cm) across, cover,转到 Chinese Works of Art Go
注脚:明/清 紅木蓋「見海」銘三足硯The inscription on the underside of our commences with the two characters yan ming (inkstone inscription), followed by a sixteen-character Confucian text. This followed by three characters that read, Jianhai zhu (written by Jianhai). Three further characters on the edge read Liang gong yan (Mr. Liang's inkstone). Four kinds of inkstones are especially noted amongst serious calligraphers and painters and are popularly known as the Four Famous inkstones. They comprise Duan (from Zhaoqing, Guangdong province), She (made in She county, Anhui province), Tao(he) (from Taozhou, Gansu province), and Chengni (made of ceramic in Luoyang, Henan province). The latter are said to have been first used during the Tang dynasty. The name Ming Chengni, arose because they were thought to be made near Confucius's home, Ni shan (Mt. Ni). The Confucian writings often found on these seem to sustain this theory. The inkstone is also referred as Nishan yan – inkstone from Nishan.