Rare Songhua scholar desk lotus leaf shape two colors Brush Washer; the brown vein is particularly well used against the green ground, to raise up, sculpted in relief, lotuses, water dragons, fishes, crabs and mandarin ducks; it stands on three feet, fish, shell, lotus stems shape.
From Emperor Kangxi reign, (1662-1722), the Songhua stone became, together with the “Duan” and “She «the favorite ink stone material; Highly estimated for its color, and its efficiency to grind the solid ink; Emperor Qianlong made some poems about it, “Songhua ju”( Songhua Jade);
It was extracted from the rivers Songhua and Heilong,in North East Of China, in Jilin Province.

Professor Robert de Strycker and his wife were great art lovers when they discovered Chinese art during a trip to the British Museum in London in the late 1930s. The finesse of this art was a revelation to them, and they both decided to study it with passion and rigor. In this aspect, from 1938 they began to collect numerous objects from the Far East, including porcelain, cloisonné bronzes, lacquerware, scholarly objects, netsuke and prints.
To further his knowledge, the professor kept up an ongoing correspondence with two leading specialists in Asian art: Sir Harry Garner and Fritz Low-Beer. He also established close ties with the curator of the “Musée Guimet”.
Robert de Strycker and his wife were passionate and erudite collectors, and their vast and varied collection reflects this. Each piece in the collection is precisely listed and dated, and even includes the place of purchase. Many of them were exhibited at
“Oudekunst in Leuvensprivébezit” from 18 July to 18 October 1964 at the “Musée Municipal de Louvain” in
Belgium.
This unique collection represents a rare assemblage of Chinese porcelain from almost every period, from the Neolithic period through the Tang and Song eras to the early 20th century. It also includes excavation pieces, porcelain from the Compagnie des Indes, and Rare imperial pieces.