The ink stone is a study in patience. Dark green (bian) jade holds a polish no metal keeps, and the Imperial workshop used that slow shine to signal rank and restraint at once.
A ink stone in dark green (bian) jade was never merely pretty. In a culture that called its rulers’ virtue ‘jade-like’, the stone was a standard as much as a material.
The Imperial taste for dark green (bian) jade favoured objects that could be held and turned, read in the palm as much as on the shelf. A ink stone was a private argument about refinement.
Jade is the slowest possible reply to fashion. This ink stone is Sinocra’s reason for keeping the craft in view, with more from The Palace Museum in the shop.
Object details
| Name | Jasper phoenix bird shaped inkstone drop (碧玉凤鸟形砚滴) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 故00103535 |
| Technique | Dark green (bian) jade (碧玉) |
| Period | Imperial dynasty |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | Palace Museum Digital Collection (数字文物库) |
Image © The Palace Museum. View the original in the Palace Museum Digital Collection.