Qing Dynasty Square Bronze Ink Slab Carved with The Heart Sutra

拍品描述

Dimensions：Side Length 31 cm (12‑1/4 in), Thickness 5.2 cm (2 in), Weight 9213g, 17th–19th CenturyCondition & Provenance：This bronze slab features a thick, solid copper body free of cracks, dents or repairs. All four edges bear gentle, natural wear from centuries of handling. The original natural jujube-red bronze patina fully covers the entire surface with scattered natural golden speckles and rich, translucent aged crust. The silver-filled carved text of The Heart Sutra on the top surface remains crisp and complete, and the long embossed reign inscription on the side wall stands out sharply with no wear. Only minor faint patina fading exists on a few outer edges, which does not detract from the overall integrity. It was originally collected within a Chinese temple stationery collection, then acquired by a private fine art collector in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA in 2010 with fully documented collecting lineage.Description：This large solid square bronze ink slab was crafted during the Qing Dynasty, a rare heavy bronze piece merging literati stationery and Buddhist decorative functions. It serves three key purposes: grinding ink, weighting paper, and devotional display for Buddhist spaces. The whole slab is one-piece cast from ultra-pure refined bronze, shaped into a perfectly symmetrical thick square block with extremely dense metal texture and a substantial heft of 9213 grams. Centuries of natural oxidation created multi-layered original reddish-brown patina across every surface, blended with natural golden flecks distributed unevenly across the copper. The aged oxidation crust forms naturally without any modern artificial distressing or restoration work. The entire top face is deeply engraved with the full text of The Heart Sutra in neat regular script, with silver metal inlay filling every character to create a striking contrast against the dark bronze background. Every character is evenly carved with consistent depth, no missing or blurred text across the full scripture passage. One vertical side holds a long rectangular recess containing a vertically embossed reign mark cast directly into the bronze, featuring distinct legible characters that serve as definitive dating evidence. All four vertical faces are smoothly polished, with softened rounded corners for comfortable handling and elegant display appeal. Bronze ink slabs engraved with Buddhist sutras are extremely scarce in antique collecting circles, and large solid bronze examples with complete silver-filled scripture and original reign marks are exceptionally hard to source. This artifact unites traditional scholar craft and Buddhist cultural symbolism, showcasing three master-level techniques: bronze casting, stone-style engraving, and silver inlay. Its untouched original patina and perfectly preserved text make it equally functional as a traditional desk tool and a central decorative statement for oriental zen interiors. It fully encapsulates Qing-era bronze casting craft, epigraphic carving skill, and popularized Buddhist aesthetics, delivering extraordinary stationery collectible value, academic research significance for Buddhist metal artifacts, and high-end decorative art merit for Asian interior design.

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