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An inscribed Duan 'cloud' inkstone, Signed Qu Dajun, Early Qing dynasty | 清初 景星卿雲硯 屈大均銘

An inscribed Duan 'cloud' inkstone, Signed Qu Dajun, Early Qing dynasty 清初 景星卿雲硯 屈大均銘 with an inscription translating to 'The resplendent stars are shining, and the auspicious clouds are brilliant. I am called for refining influences of the arts, and not for mere amusement', followed byDajun ming(signed Dajun) and a seal mark reading Wengshan 26.5 cm 釋文 景星燦兮，卿雲爛兮，昭我文德，匪以為玩兮。大均銘。翁山。 Collection ofFumio Kusunoki, Tokyo. 東京精華堂楠文夫舊藏 Fumio Kusunoki,Bunbo shiho: Suzuri sumi fude sekiin [Treasures of the Studio: Inkstones, Ink, Brushes, and Seals], Tokyo, 2013, no. 97. 楠文夫著，《文房至寶—硯、墨、筆、石印》，東京，2013年，頁97 Bearing the inscription of renowned scholar Qu Dajun (1630-1696), this grand inkstone is carved from the famed stone of Duan Creek, treasured for its solid yet fine material. Minimally carved to preserve the rounded form and ochre exterior of the original stone, the present lot appears as if it were formed by nature – a simple yet weighty form of a large size, its subtle sloping surface stone serving as the ink field. This mellow, smooth stone is of deep purple colour and adorned with much treasured yellow and green occlusions to the edges, known to connoisseurs as “yellow dragon patterns” and “green flowers.” To the rear of the inkstone, the following inscription is carved in clerical script: “The resplendent stars are shining, and the auspicious clouds are brilliant. They call me to the refining influences of the arts, and not to mere amusement. Inscribed by Dajun.” This inscription contains two references to auspicious omens. While “resplendent star” alludes to a line from the Records of the Grand Historian regarding a virtuous state,[1] “auspicious clouds” evokes Yu Shun’s song from another great classic, the Shangshu dazhuan (‘Great Tradition of the Book of Documents’): “The auspicious clouds are splendid, together they circle around. The sun and moon are bright and glorious, returning dawn after dawn.” Confirmed by the “Wengshan” seal mark carved below, the inscription marks the inkstone as part of the collection of the late Ming and early Qing scholar and poet Qu Dajun (1630-1696) (fig. 1). A native of Panyu, Guangdong, Qu Dajun – also known by his style names Jiezi and Saoyu, and sobriquets Wengshan, Laipu, and Feichi – was a renowned literatus, referred to as one of the ‘Three Masters of Lingnan.’ Particularly fond of theYijing (Book of Changes), Qu was well-versed in poetry and calligraphy and is particularly acclaimed for his running script, best described as bold yet minimal in style. He was also known to be very particular about the arrangement of his studio and had a rich collection of scholar’s objects. In the ‘Stone’ volume of his New Descriptions of Guangdong, Qu describes his youthful interest in inkstones and his particular fondness for the exceptional pieces from Duan Creek. One natural inkstone of this type, given to him by a friend, soon became a treasured possession, known to him by the moniker Dapu(literally ‘great unpolished jade’). This remarkable stone went on to inspire two great poems in its honour, celebrating the subtle beauty of natural inkstone: ‘Lines on a Beggar’s Inkstone’ and ‘Inscription for the Great Unpolished Jade.’ The former begins: “To the east of Lingyang Gorge there is only Duan Creek. The passage to the cliff faces the water. The stonemasons crawl down steep, rocky steps, passing through four caves and moving from east to west. The gentlemen are most interested in the purple, cloudy pieces; they are willing to climb into the sky to have them cut into inkstones.”2 Qu Dajun’s life was one of constant movement and self-cultivation amidst the chaos of civil war. A devoted Ming loyalist, Qu and his teacher Chen Bangyan helped launch a failed revolt against the new Qing dynasty in 1647. To evade capture in the Qing siege of Guangzhou in 1650, he shaved his head and became a monk in the Haiyun Temple near Panyu, naming his monastic residence the “Hut of Death,” a sign that he would rather die than submit to the Qing. Qu soon left monastic life in the hopes of joining the famed revolt of general Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) but was soon arrested. Escaping once again to become a monk, Qu continued to fight for his beliefs until the Zheng family’s capitulation in 1683 when he settled down once and for all in Panyu to continue his studies in the wilderness; writing poetry, lecturing and compiling volumes on the documents, products, and stories of Guangdong. [1] Sima Qian, “Treatise on the Celestial Offices,” in Astrology and Cosmology in Early China: Conforming Earth to Heaven, trans. David W. Pankenier (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 496. [2] Qu Dajun,Guangdong Xinyu(New Descriptions of Guangdong), Vol. 5, inSikujinhuishu congkan bubian(Supplement to the Banned and Burned Books of the Four Storehouses), Vol. 37, eds. Siku jinhuishu congkan bianzuan weiyuanhui (Beijing: Beijing chubanshe, 2005), 328. 「清初 屈大均銘 景星卿雲硯」，端溪上等佳石製，堅實細潤，隨璞石略加雕琢成硯，依石材自然形式，保存天然樣貌，留有赭黃色石皮，形制碩大，飽滿渾厚，入手甚沉。取硯面略低處作硯堂，周邊有大片黃龍紋及青花等石品。石色深紫，襯手溫潤柔膩。硯背鐫有隸書銘款：「景星燦兮，卿雲爛兮，昭我文德，匪以為玩兮。大均銘」，下刻鈐印：「翁山」，為明末清初學者、詩人屈大均（1630〜1696）藏硯。「景星」典出《史記•天官書》：「天精而見景星，其狀無常，常出現於有道之國」，景星猶言德星也。「卿雲」典出《尚書大傳•虞夏傳》虞舜卿雲之歌：「卿雲爛兮，糺縵縵兮，日月光華，旦復旦兮」，二者均為祥瑞之兆。 屈大均好研易理，工詩善書，尤善行草，剛勁古樸；於文房、香道諸事亦甚考究，富於文玩收藏，所撰《廣東新語•石語》有〈端石〉、〈端溪硯石〉二篇，言其少時頗蓄硯，尤以端溪精華，盡力蒐求，嘗從友人處得一天然硯，名曰「大璞」，珍若拱璧，作〈乞硯行〉、〈大璞銘〉以誌之，辭云： 「羊峽東惟端溪，水巖之口臨江低。石師匍匐下絕磴，中穿四洞先東西。使君最嗜紫雲片，脚踏青天割為硯。青花細細似微塵，蕉葉白中時隱見。空濛雨氣成黃龍，欲散不散浮水面。豬肝淡紫方新鮮，帶血千年色未變。中間火捺暈如錢，半壁陰沉望似烟。翡翠朱砂非一種，斑斑麻鵲點多圓。斯是水巖石中髓，水之精華結淵底。就中純粹含乾德，紛紛脂玉慚肌理。入手溫然煖若春，浮動心花兼意蕊。姑射冰凝總在神，昭儀膏滑那濡水。玉骨雖剛按似柔，生氣周身無不靡。鸜鵒何須活眼多，雲霞亦是空天滓。使君命匠細磨礱，中有三方最高美。其餘浸潤水盤中，水碧金膏盡糠粃。分我東洞一大臠，似方非方非石子。縱橫六寸甚端厚，蕉葉青花相間起。前者兩片琢未成，贈我已與瓊瑤似。使君割愛本非常，不貪為寶吾難已。」而《大璞銘》云：「水巖一角，天然大璞。自成圭璋，不用追琢。蕉葉白凝，火痕丹渥。文聖之純，潛龍之確。水涌雲蒸，書成不覺。一氣氤氳，其元在朔。與我心蕐，殷勤浣濯。」[1] 「大璞」本指未經加工的天然玉石，在此稱未經雕琢的天然端溪硯石。屈大均對此「大璞」極其推崇，形容此硯為「前者兩片琢未成，贈我已與瓊瑤似。使君割愛本非常，不貪為寶吾難已。」、「天然大璞。自成圭璋，不用追琢。」其對端溪天然硯之愛好，由此可見一斑。 屈大均（1630〜1696）（圖一）[2]，初名邵龍，字介子、騷余，號翁山、萊圃、非池，原籍廣東番禺（今廣州番禺區）。明末清初學者、詩人，「嶺南三大家」之一，有「廣東徐霞客」美稱。早年受業於陳邦彥門下。順治四年（1647）與陳邦彥等人起義反清，不幸失敗。後至肇慶，向永曆帝呈《中興六大典書》，授以中秘書，因父歿急歸。順治七年（1650）清兵圍廣州，為躲避追捕，在番禺圓崗鄉金甌山海雲寺削髮為僧，法名今種，字一靈。居所名為「死庵」，以示誓死不臣之意。後遊歷大江南北，結交豪杰義士，出山海關探遼地虛實，留意山川險阻，暗圖復業。曾與友人謀劃聯絡鄭成功進軍長江，鄭成功敗，屈大均被緝捕，避去，返儒服，更今名。康熙十二年（1673），吳三桂反清，以蓄髮復衣冠號召天下，屈大均旋知吳三桂有稱帝野心，謝事歸。康熙二十二年（1683）明鄭降清，屈大均由南京攜家歸番禺，終不復出，著述講學，蒐集編纂廣東文獻、方物及掌故等。屈大均與陳恭尹、梁佩蘭合稱「嶺南三大家」，大均詩尤勝，在明遺民詩中，與顧炎武雙峰並峙。 [1] 清 屈大均，《廣東新語》，卷5，收入四庫禁燬書叢刊編纂委員會編，《四庫禁燬書叢刊補編》（北京：北京出版社出版，2005），第37冊，頁328。 [2] 圖版引自：葉恭綽輯，《清代學者象傳》第一集。

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