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A CIRCULAR 'HUNDRED BOYS' INK-CAKE Dated by inscription to the Jiacheng year of the Wanli era (corresponding to 1604) and of the period, with the mark of Cheng Junfang image 1
A CIRCULAR 'HUNDRED BOYS' INK-CAKE Dated by inscription to the Jiacheng year of the Wanli era (corresponding to 1604) and of the period, with the mark of Cheng Junfang image 2
A CIRCULAR 'HUNDRED BOYS' INK-CAKE Dated by inscription to the Jiacheng year of the Wanli era (corresponding to 1604) and of the period, with the mark of Cheng Junfang image 3
A CIRCULAR 'HUNDRED BOYS' INK-CAKE Dated by inscription to the Jiacheng year of the Wanli era (corresponding to 1604) and of the period, with the mark of Cheng Junfang image 4
Lot 75

A CIRCULAR 'HUNDRED BOYS' INK-CAKE
Dated by inscription to the Jiacheng year of the Wanli era (corresponding to 1604) and of the period, with the mark of Cheng Junfang

14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £1,920 inc. premium

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A CIRCULAR 'HUNDRED BOYS' INK-CAKE

Dated by inscription to the Jiacheng year of the Wanli era (corresponding to 1604) and of the period, with the mark of Cheng Junfang
Of circular form, finely carved on both sides with a 'Hundred Boys' scene depicting boys engaged in various leisure activities, including practicing martial arts, performing a dragon dance, and catching fish, all set within a fenced garden and pavilion landscape, one side bearing a three-character inscription in regular script, the edges inscribed with twelve characters with the date and a signature in regular script.
12.6cm (5in) diam.

Footnotes

明萬曆甲辰年(1604) 「百子圖」圓墨
「百子圖」「萬曆甲辰年造」「程君房仿古墨」款

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited : G.Tsang and H.Moss, Arts of the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, no.38, pp.78-79.

展覽著錄: G.Tsang and H.Moss,Arts of the Scholar's Studio,香港,1986年,編號38,第78-79頁

Cheng Junfang (程君房), a renowned ink craftsman of the Ming dynasty, was active during the Wanli period. He hailed from Shexian in Huizhou, a region famed for its expertise in woodblock engraving, paper, and ink production. The ink products he created built upon the traditions of his predecessors, while also demonstrating his own distinctive craftsmanship. Chen proudly declared, 'My ink will turn into gold in a hundred years' (我墨百年可化黃金), highlighting his confidence in the enduring quality of his work. He also authored the book Cheng's Ink Garden (程氏墨苑), which includes a variety of essays and details about the ink products he crafted.

See a similar circular 'hundred boys' ink-cake with the signature of Cheng Junfang, Wanli, in the Qing Court Collection, Palace Museum, Taipei (acc.no.故文000476N000000000).

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