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Subject:Small Carved Inkstone
Posted By: Chris I Wed, Nov 08, 2017 IP: 86.18.146.240
Ok, so I found this small carved inkstone in a box of (largely) junk at a village auction. I purchased the box for a c1900 Canton Rose vase which was included, the rest was mostly mid century ceramics and largely valueless. At the bottom of the box, unseen until I got it home, was this inkstone.
It's not my area of expertise, but I know that there are huge numbers of fakes and modern examples, so I hope someone with knowledge of them may be kind enough to have a look.
It's small for an inkstone, about 4 1/4 by 3 by 3/4 inches. It's made from quite a hard stone with an olive green tint. The stone has striations and looks natural and not re-constituted to me. The carving at the top is of a bird and is competent, but not exciting nor particularly intricate. The well has an under-cut so it must have been carved and not moulded.
I washed it, as it was pretty cruddy, and got a lot of black water, presumably from encrusted ink. There are a few nibbles around the edges but no major chunks out. There are some nicks in the center of the flat which looks like it was hit with a sharp point. There are no character marks or text of any form.
So can anyone help with dating? My guess would late 19th to early 20th, but am I missing something obvious. Is it a well known reproduction design?
Many thanks for any help
C
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