Premium Recommendation -Juque Inkstone

*本次藏品：苴却砚*

典藏尺寸：重：18.8kg长：67cm宽：38cm厚：5cm

本件苴却砚的雕刻技法融合了圆雕、浮雕、透雕等多种工艺，展现了苴却砚雕刻 “因材施艺、巧夺天工” 的核心特色。

龙是中国传统文化中最具代表性的符号，象征着权威、祥瑞与力量。在砚台雕刻中，龙纹题材常见于宫廷御用砚或具有祈福寓意的文房器物。本件砚台的龙纹设计并非单一龙形，而是群龙布局，通过不同姿态的龙与云纹、石眼的结合，营造出 “九龙闹海”“龙腾云际” 的生动场景：

主龙：砚体两侧各有一条体型健硕的主龙，龙首高昂，龙须飘逸，龙鳞刻画细腻入微，采用高浮雕技法，使龙身具有强烈的立体感，仿佛破壁而出。龙睛部分巧妙利用了天然石眼，让龙的神态更具神韵，实现了 “天人合一” 的工艺境界。

辅龙：在主龙周围，分布着数条形态各异的辅龙，有的盘旋于云间，有的隐于石隙，采用浅浮雕与线刻结合的方式，与主龙形成层次对比，既突出了主体，又丰富了画面的叙事性。

云纹：龙纹周围的云纹采用镂空雕与圆雕结合的技法，云卷云舒，灵动自然，既起到了衬托龙纹的作用，又通过镂空设计增强了砚台的透气性与艺术美感，同时巧妙地利用云纹的起伏来隐藏砚台的石质瑕疵，体现了 “化腐朽为神奇” 的雕刻智慧。

This Juque Inkstone integrates multiple carving techniques such as round carving, relief carving, and openwork carving. It demonstrates the core feature of Juque Inkstone carving—"crafting according to the material, and achieving extraordinary craftsmanship".

The dragon is the most representative symbol in traditional Chinese culture, embodying authority, auspiciousness, and power. In inkstone carving, dragon patterns are commonly seen on inkstones for imperial use in palaces or literary artifacts with the meaning of praying for blessings. The dragon pattern design of this inkstone is not a single dragon shape, but a layout of multiple dragons. Through the combination of dragons in different postures, cloud patterns, and natural stone eyes, it creates vivid scenes of "nine dragons frolicking in the sea" and "dragons soaring among clouds":

Main Dragons: There is a robust main dragon on each side of the inkstone body. The dragon’s head is held high, its beard flows gracefully, and its scales are carved with meticulous detail. High relief carving is used to give the dragon’s body a strong sense of three-dimensionality, as if it is breaking out of the stone. The dragon’s eyes are cleverly made using natural stone eyes, endowing the dragon with more vivid expressions and achieving the craftsmanship realm of "harmony between man and nature".

Auxiliary Dragons: Around the main dragons, there are several auxiliary dragons in different shapes. Some hover among the clouds, while others hide in the gaps of the stone. A combination of low relief carving and line carving is adopted, forming a hierarchical contrast with the main dragons. This not only highlights the main subject but also enriches the narrative of the picture.

Cloud Patterns: The cloud patterns around the dragon patterns use a combination of openwork carving and round carving. The clouds roll and drift in a flexible and natural way. They not only set off the dragon patterns but also enhance the air permeability and artistic beauty of the inkstone through the openwork design. At the same time, the undulations of the cloud patterns are cleverly used to hide the stone defects of the inkstone, embodying the carving wisdom of "turning decay into magic".

*本次藏品：苴却砚*

典藏尺寸：重：18.8kg长：67cm宽：38cm厚：5cm

苴却砚的核心价值，首先源于其独特的石材 —— 苴却石。这种石材产自四川省攀枝花市（原永仁县苴却乡，今属攀枝花市仁和区），矿脉形成于亿万年前的地质运动，其本质是紫红色砂岩经长期变质作用形成的沉积岩，因富含铁、铜、锰等矿物质，呈现出黑、紫、绿、黄等斑斓色泽，更因天然形成的 “石眼”“石品花纹”（如青花、冰纹、火捺等）而备受推崇。

本件苴却砚的石材特征极为典型：

色泽：主体呈深沉的灰黑色，局部因矿物质分布呈现出自然的过渡色，这种色泽是苴却石 “紫石” 与 “黑石” 品类的融合体现，质地致密温润，符合 “抚之如婴儿肌肤” 的砚石审美标准。

石眼：砚体表面散布着多处圆形 “石眼”，这些石眼是苴却石的标志性特征，由矿物质在沉积过程中凝聚而成，呈青绿色，有瞳有晕，宛如天然的眼睛。在传统砚文化中，“石眼” 被视为砚石的 “灵气之窗”，本件砚台的石眼分布错落有致，既有单独成景的 “单眼”，也有聚合成簇的 “群眼”，为雕刻创作提供了天然的艺术支点。

硬度与发墨性：苴却石的莫氏硬度约为 3-4 度，介于端砚（2.8-3.5 度）与歙砚（4 度左右）之间，既保证了雕刻时的可塑性，又兼具优异的发墨性能 —— 研磨时 “下墨快而不损毫”，墨汁细腻光润，是文人墨客追求的理想砚质。

从历史维度看，苴却石的开发可追溯至清代。据《新纂云南通志》记载，清宣统元年（1909 年），当地工匠开始利用苴却石制砚，但其工艺真正成熟并声名远播，是在 20 世纪 80 年代以后。本件砚台的石材品质与工艺风格，反映了当代苴却砚在继承传统基础上的创新发展，是苴却石从 “边陲野石” 跃升为 “文房名砚” 的实物见证。

清宣统元年（1909 年），云南官员邹道龙将苴却石砚带到巴拿马国际博览会参展，荣获“文房至宝”奖项，苴却砚由此声名鹊起。但受限于交通与工艺，其发展在民国时期陷入停滞。直到 20 世纪 80 年代，随着攀枝花地区的开发与工艺的复兴，苴却砚才重新进入大众视野，并迅速跻身 “中国名砚” 之列。

本件苴却砚的风格与工艺特征，反映了当代苴却砚的工艺水准。它既继承了传统砚台的造型理念（如砚池、砚堂的布局符合研墨功能），又融入了现代雕刻的审美趣味（如龙纹的写实与夸张结合），是苴却砚 “传统与现代对话” 的典型作品。

雕刻师充分利用苴却石的天然色泽与石眼分布，将龙纹与云纹的布局与石材的肌理、石眼的位置紧密结合。例如，将石眼作为龙睛或云海中的 “明珠”，使天然石质与人工雕刻浑然一体，这是苴却砚 “天人合一” 工艺理念的典型体现。

通过高浮雕、浅浮雕、薄意雕等不同层次的雕刻技法，营造出画面的纵深感。主龙的高浮雕使龙身凸出砚面，辅龙的浅浮雕则稍逊一筹，云纹的薄意雕几乎与砚面平齐，这种层次差异让整个画面 “龙在云中走，云随龙形动”，极具动态感。

从龙鳞的排列、龙须的卷曲，到云纹的褶皱、石眼的打磨，每一处细节都经过精心雕琢。龙鳞采用 “叠鳞法” 雕刻，片片分明且富有立体感；龙须以细刀勾勒，柔软而富有弹性；云纹的边缘打磨得圆润光滑，既保证了实用功能（避免硌手），又提升了艺术观赏性。

在当代社会，传统砚台的实用功能逐渐被笔墨纸砚的 “文化符号” 属性取代。苴却砚以其独特的石材与工艺，成为文房艺术收藏的新宠，它的价值不仅体现在 “研墨” 的实用功能上，更在于其作为 “石上艺术” 的审美价值与文化传承价值。

本件龙纹苴却砚，通过精湛的雕刻将一块天然石材转化为一件艺术品，它让我们看到了传统工艺在当代的生命力，也让我们感受到了中国文房文化的深厚底蕴。对于文人墨客而言，它是挥毫泼墨时的 “知音”；对于收藏家而言，它是投资与鉴赏的 “珍品”；对于普通大众而言，它是了解中国砚文化与雕刻艺术的 “窗口”。

这件苴却砚，以其瑰丽的苴却石为基，以精湛的龙纹雕刻为魂，成为苴却砚艺术的一个缩影。它不仅是一件文房用具，更是一件融合了地质奇观、工艺智慧与文化传统的艺术品。从攀枝花深山的矿脉中被发掘，到经能工巧匠的妙手雕琢，再到成为文房案头的珍品，它的每一段历程都在书写着苴却砚的传奇。

The core value of Juque Inkstone stems first from its unique stone material—Juque stone. This stone is produced in Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province (originally from Juque Township, Yongren County, now part of Renhe District, Panzhihua City). Its ore veins formed during geological movements hundreds of millions of years ago. Essentially a sedimentary rock transformed by long-term metamorphism of purplish-red sandstone, it exhibits vibrant colors such as black, purple, green, and yellow due to its rich mineral content (including iron, copper, and manganese). It is particularly revered for its naturally formed "stone eyes" and "stone patterns" (such as "blue flowers," "ice veins," and "fire marks").

Typical Stone Characteristics of This Juque Inkstone

Color: The main body is a deep gray-black, with natural transitional hues in local areas due to mineral distribution. This coloration reflects a combination of Juque stone’s "purple stone" and "black stone" categories. Its texture is dense and smooth, meeting the inkstone aesthetic standard of "feeling like a baby’s skin to the touch."

Stone Eyes: The surface of the inkstone is dotted with round "stone eyes"—a signature feature of Juque stone. Formed by mineral accumulation during sedimentation, these eyes are cyan-green, with "pupils" and "halos," resembling natural eyes. In traditional inkstone culture, "stone eyes" are regarded as the "window of vitality" of the inkstone. The stone eyes on this piece are arranged in a scattered yet orderly manner, including both single "solitary eyes" that form independent scenes and clustered "group eyes," providing natural artistic fulcrums for carving.

Hardness and Ink-Grinding Performance: Juque stone has a Mohs hardness of approximately 3–4 degrees, between Duan inkstone (2.8–3.5 degrees) and She inkstone (around 4 degrees). This hardness ensures moldability during carving while delivering excellent ink-grinding performance: it "grinds ink quickly without damaging brush hairs," producing fine and glossy ink—an ideal inkstone quality sought after by scholars and calligraphers.

Historical Context

The development of Juque stone dates back to the Qing Dynasty. According to Newly Compiled Yunnan Provincial Records, local craftsmen began making inkstones from Juque stone in the first year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1909). However, its craftsmanship truly matured and gained widespread fame only after the 1980s. The stone quality and craftsmanship style of this inkstone reflect the innovative development of contemporary Juque inkstones on the basis of traditional inheritance, serving as tangible evidence of Juque stone’s rise from a "remote wild stone" to a "famous literary inkstone."

In 1909 (the first year of Qing Xuantong), Zou Daolong, an official in Yunnan, brought Juque stone inkstones to the Panama International Exposition, where they won the "Treasure of Literary Studios" award. This marked the rise of Juque Inkstone’s reputation. However, limited by transportation and craftsmanship, its development stagnated during the Republic of China period. It was not until the 1980s, with the development of Panzhihua and the revival of craftsmanship, that Juque Inkstone re-entered public view and quickly became one of China’s "famous inkstones."

Craftsmanship and Artistic Value

The style and craftsmanship of this Juque Inkstone reflect the technical standards of contemporary Juque inkstones. It inherits the traditional inkstone design concept (e.g., the layout of the ink pool and ink platform conforms to ink-grinding functions) while integrating modern carving aesthetics (such as the combination of realism and exaggeration in dragon patterns), making it a typical work of "dialogue between tradition and modernity" for Juque Inkstones.

The carver made full use of the natural color and stone eye distribution of Juque stone, closely integrating the layout of dragon and cloud patterns with the stone’s texture and the position of stone eyes. For example, stone eyes are used as dragon eyes or "pearls" in the cloud sea, blending natural stone texture with manual carving—a classic embodiment of the Juque inkstone’s craftsmanship concept of "harmony between man and nature."

Through multi-layered carving techniques (high relief, low relief, and thin-layer carving), a sense of depth is created in the design. The high relief of the main dragons makes their bodies protrude from the inkstone surface; the low relief of the auxiliary dragons is slightly less prominent; and the thin-layer carving of cloud patterns is almost flush with the surface. This hierarchical difference gives the entire scene a strong sense of dynamism, as if "dragons move through clouds, and clouds follow the dragons’ shapes."

Every detail—from the arrangement of dragon scales and the curling of dragon beards to the folds of cloud patterns and the polishing of stone eyes—has been meticulously crafted. Dragon scales are carved using the "stacked scale method," with each scale clearly defined and three-dimensional; dragon beards are outlined with fine knives, soft and flexible; the edges of cloud patterns are polished smooth and rounded, ensuring practicality (avoiding hand discomfort) while enhancing artistic appeal.

Contemporary Significance

In modern society, the practical function of traditional inkstones has gradually been replaced by their role as "cultural symbols" among the "four treasures of the study" (brush, ink, paper, inkstone). With its unique stone material and craftsmanship, Juque Inkstone has become a new favorite in literary art collections. Its value lies not only in the practical function of "grinding ink" but also in its aesthetic value as "art on stone" and its role in cultural inheritance.

This dragon-patterned Juque Inkstone transforms a piece of natural stone into a work of art through exquisite carving. It allows us to see the vitality of traditional craftsmanship in the contemporary era and feel the profound heritage of Chinese study culture. For scholars and calligraphers, it is a "soulmate" for writing and painting; for collectors, it is a "treasure" for investment and appreciation; for the general public, it is a "window" to understand Chinese inkstone culture and carving art.

Rooted in the magnificent Juque stone and shaped by exquisite dragon-pattern carving (its "soul"), this inkstone epitomizes the art of Juque Inkstone. It is not merely a study tool but a work of art that integrates geological wonders, craftsmanship wisdom, and cultural tradition. From its excavation in the mineral veins of Panzhihua’s mountains, to its carving by skilled craftsmen, and finally to its place as a treasure on study desks, every stage of its journey writes the legend of Juque Inkstone.

Would you like me to organize a bilingual glossary of Juque Inkstone’s core terms? It will include Chinese-English translations and brief explanations of key concepts like "stone eyes," "ice veins," and "thin-layer carving," making it easier for you to introduce Juque Inkstone to international audiences.

*本次藏品：苴却砚*

典藏尺寸：重：18.8kg长：67cm宽：38cm厚：5cm

以上藏品相关信息请与：四川尚亿拍卖有限公司联系。 

For information about the above collections, please contact: Sichuan Jun Zailai Auction Group Co.