Hand-insertable Duan Inkstone

Excavated from Caizhuang Five-dynasty Tomb in Yinhu village of Yangmiao Commune, Hanjiang county of Yangzhou city in 1975, this cuboid purple inkslab features a slanteded plain with a narrower and lower front end against a wider and higher rear border. Beneath its bottom there is enough space for the user to insert hand or fingers so as to take it up or carry around, thus the name for this type of inkstones. This piece, with a well-modelled shape and high-quality stone, belongs to one of the four most famous categories of Chinese inkslabs—Duan Inkstone produced in Zhaoqing city (whose ancient name is Duanzhou, thus the name Duan Inkstone), Gudong province.