Abstract Cloud Inkstone

This early 19th century inkstone was carved with a water well delineated by incised abstract cloud motifs. A Qing Dynasty calligrapher, poet, or painter probably kept this in his studio, and used it while composing a verse or painting the craggy peaks of a mountain. Calligraphy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, like this one, are often called the “Four Treasures of the Scholar's Study.”