Ming Dynasty,Jiajing Mark Solid Square Bronze Ink Brick

拍品描述

Dimensions：Side Length 19.8 cm (7‑3/4 in), Weight 6915g, 16th CenturyCondition & Provenance：The bronze brick is fully intact with no cracks, dents or warping. All four edges carry soft natural wear from centuries of handling. The original aged bronze patina covers the whole piece without restoration. The long vertical Jiajing reign inscription and two small square seal marks on the sides are sharply raised and fully legible. There is only one tiny faint old scratch on one vertical side, which barely affects the overall condition. It was passed down through a series of ancient Chinese stationery collectors in the Jiangnan region, then acquired by a private art collector in Los Angeles, California, USA back in 2008, with a clear continuous collecting history.Description：This solid square bronze ink brick was precisely cast during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. It counts as a top-tier heavy stationery treasure that serves three purposes: grinding ink, weighting paper, and decorating scholar desks. The whole piece is one-piece cast from ultra-pure refined bronze, shaped into a thick vertical square block with extremely dense metal texture, giving a remarkably heavy solid feel when held, with a total weight of 6915 grams. Hundreds of years of natural oxidation created layered jujube-red original bronze patina across the surface. Interlaced deep and light reddish-brown textures are dotted with scattered natural golden speckles. The patina is soft, restrained and fully natural, with zero modern artificial aging treatment. All four vertical sides are smoothly polished, and sharp corners are softened to avoid sharp edges. One side features a long rectangular recess, inside which stands vertically embossed reign date characters in primitive neat calligraphy, precisely cast with consistent depth. A neighboring side and one top corner each hold a small square embossed seal mark with clear distinguishable characters. All marks were cast into the bronze during production, acting as key evidence to confirm its Ming dynasty origin. The bronze body is tight and fine-grained, showing strict and refined casting standards typical of official Ming bronze works. Bronze ink bricks are far rarer than bronze censers and paper weights among antique Chinese metalware. Large solid ink bricks bearing authentic Ming dynasty reign marks are exceptionally hard to find. This specimen boasts a stately square shape, untouched original patina, multiple original cast inscriptions, and a well-balanced size. It works perfectly as a functional desk tool for traditional literati or a decorative antique display piece. It fully preserves the aesthetic taste of Ming scholars and ancient metal casting craftsmanship, delivering outstanding stationery collectible value, research significance for Ming bronze artifacts, and decorative art value for oriental interior spaces.

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