A scholar’s inkstand, shaped like a small drum, made of porcelain decorated using a combination of “fahua” and “sancai” techniques. The relief decoration features stylized lotus flowers, glazed in shades of cobalt blue, turquoise, yellow, and manganese brown.

The “fahua” technique, which appeared during the Ming dynasty, consists of outlining the motifs with fine lines in slight relief, often dark blue or black, before filling the areas thus delimited with colored glazes. The term sancai, literally “three colors,” is an enameling technique developed during the Tang period, characterized by the use of several glazes (often yellow, green, and brown) applied freely, without partitioning. In this object, the two approaches are combined, illustrating a rich and contrasting decorative aesthetic specific to certain productions from the late Ming or early Qing dynasties.

The body of the drum has four circular openings for brushes and a rectangular opening for an ink stick. This object, originally utilitarian, was part of the refined world of Chinese scholars, where writing and calligraphy held a central place.
The gilded bronze mounts, added in Europe in the 19th century, transformed this inkwell into a Western-style precious inkwell. In the center, a turquoise biscuit porcelain figure used as an inkstick holder, represents a Taoist deity holding a ruyi scepter, symbol of fulfilled wishes.

Comparable pieces are held in several major collections:

• Musée Guimet (Paris)
• British Museum (London, Percival David collection)
• Victoria and Albert Museum, where a similar model bearing an incised mark da ming nian zhi is catalogued under number C.58-1935. The latter was acquired with the support of the Art Fund, the Vallentin bequest, Sir Percival David, and the Chinese Universities Committee.