AN EXTREMELY RARE CRYSTAL INKSTONE INCISED SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

the transparent quartz with characteristic flaws and inclusions, intricately carved in relief with an oval section centred on a frosted circular patch, below a slightly sloped recessed inkwell near the top, all within a border carved in the form of a bat with outstretched wings stylistically enveloping the inkstone, the underside incised with a vertical four-character seal mark

As visible in the catalogue photo, there are characteristic flaws to the material itself. There is also general surface wear, especially to the extremities. Minor nicks and scratches to the underside.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Yongzheng reign-marked inkstones carved from Songhua stone from the Qing court collection are preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, and a number has appeared at auction, but examples in rock-crystal are extremely rare. The conception of this outstanding inkstone, in which the stylised form of the bat stretches around the edge of the inkwell, and where the lobes of the well comprise the natural folds of the mammal’s outstretched wings, is designed to depict the bat as if drinking from the well of the inkstone. Similar stylistic treatment can be seen on a Yongzheng reign-marked Songhua inkstone  of double-gourd form in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in A Special Exhibition of Sunghua Inkstone Comparable to the Best Tuan and She Inkstones, Taipei, 1993, pl. 33. The definition and positioning of the bat on the Songhua inkstone closely matches that on the current inkstone, though the overall form is different and the seal mark is enclosed within a square.

Another Songhua inkstone in the National Palace Museum, of double-gourd form but carved with melon and vine at the top, shares the same treatment of the mark as on the current crystal inkstone, a four-character seal mark intricately incised on the underside, illustrated ibid, pl. 34. Compare also the mark on a Yongzheng inkstone, preserved in a lacquer box incised and dated to the second year of the Yongzheng reign, illustrated in 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 104, and sold in these rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 49.

Before the annexation of Xinjiang in 1759, dramatically increasing the supply of high quality flawless crystal, the material was especially prized at the Imperial court. An envoy of the Pope is recorded as having been given a gift of a rare rock-crystal snuff bottle by the Kangxi emperor. As outlined in Tributes from Guangdong to the Emperor, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 58, Qu Dajun in Guangdong Xinyu, Vol. 15, Commodities, Crystal, 39th year of Kangxi, 1700, eulogises the limited supply of crystal from Wuzhishan in Qiongzhou as ‘brilliant, lustrous and white as snow’.

Crystal scholar’s objects produced for the Imperial court are extremely rare, with only a small number recorded from the Qing Court Collection and preserved in the holdings of the Palace Museum, Beijing. An exceptional example is an intricate crystal water dropper carved in the form of a duck, illustrated in Small Refined Articles of the Study. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Shanghai, 2011, pl. 181. The quality of the material appears similar to that on the current piece, transparent and lustrous in colour, but with characteristic veins and bubble-like flaws. The bold archaistic carving and scrollwork on the duck’s wings and plumage closely matches that of the scrollwork on the bat’s stylised wings here. Other examples of crystal in the Palace Museum include two miniature mountain-shaped seals, illustrated ibid, p. 269, pl. 266. Clearly, the material itself was highly valued and only utilised for the highest quality works of art.