A suitable pattern is placed on the back of the inkstone in low relief or incised, which is highly decorative and appreciative. People call this form of back flower carving, and its independent pattern has a strong overall sense and imitates the inkstone. The shapes of objects all fall into this category, such as lotus leaf inkstone, piano inkstone, cicada inkstone, goose inkstone, etc. Combination patterns are mostly used in shaped inkstones. The images in the patterns are very rich, including landscape figures, sun, moon, nebula, birds and beasts, towers and pavilions, ancient trees and rocks, dragons, phoenixes, gods, etc. The pictures are lively, full of vitality and endearing. . Implication From the essence of beauty, the material beauty and pattern beauty of She Inkstone are highly objective and accepted by most people. The author believes that the beauty of She Inkstone lies in its inherent connotation, and the firm and moist characteristics of She Inkstone are consistent with the temperament of literati. Xu Yi of the Qing Dynasty said in "The Collection of She Inkstones": "Any stone that is hard must not be tender, and a moist stone must be slippery. But She stones are tender and fine, moist but not slippery. They have a sound when buckled and smooth when caressed." The skin is abraded like a sharp edge, the texture is rotten, and the color is like the blue sky. Although it has been used for a long time, there are no ink stains on it, which is why it is far more than Duanxi. "The shape may be simple, elegant, or meaningful. , or cleverness hidden in clumsiness, or pictograms due to circumstances, all consistent with the literati's high-spirited, unseeking, optimistic, simple, detached, and happy-go-lucky character.
Shape She inkstone carving styles mainly include the following 7 styles: antique style, that is, imitating the inkstone styles of previous dynasties, such as Gui style, Fengzi, Fengchi, ancient coins, ancient bottles, bells and tripods, combined stones, wat style, turtle style, and piano style. , lotus leaf, toad, sun and moon style, copy-hand style, etc., are simple and clumsy, mostly for collection and appreciation; natural style, according to the shape and pattern of the inkstone, and skillfully made according to the materials; large crown style, rectangular, upper The edge of the end inkstone is slightly wider and the edge of the lower end is slightly narrower. The edge of the inkstone is carved with various patterns. The tongue of the inkstone is opened, and the back is engraved with a round hand. Inscriptions, figures, landscapes and other patterns are engraved inside; Yutang style, also known as plain edge inkstone, is rectangular. , without engraved patterns and decorations, the inkstone can be opened or carved, which is a practical inkstone style; the inkstone blank is a rare stone product with extremely beautiful texture. Inkstone carvers can't bear to cut it and keep it as an ornamental inkstone. The set of inkstones is made of ordinary inkstones carved into a holder and embedded in the heart of the fine stone; the lacquered precious inkstones are skillfully made by inserting thin slices of precious inkstone into lacquer boxes. Artistic processing She inkstones are mostly simple works, but they also absorb the advantages of traditional works. Traditional work: The design is pattern style. It is carefully crafted and stretched on the left and right to show its magnificence. Most of them were made in the Yuan Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. Simple work: The design is of the string pattern type, highlighting the hard and soft turning of the line surface. It is famous for its plainness. The inscription pattern is engraved on the back of the inkstone. This work was mostly done in the Song and Ming Dynasties.
The craftsmanship of inkstone carving has traditionally been known by the three major schools of Huizhou, Guangdong and Suzhou. The Huizhou school to which She inkstone belongs is known for its exquisite carvings of landscapes, palaces, figures, melons and fruits, fish and dragons. Wait, all of them are attentive. The carving of She inkstones is full of strong Huizhou style, usually with relief and shallow carvings, and occasionally with deep knife carvings. The palaces, figures and other works carved with the deep knife are delicate and have clear layers, and the excavation of the inkstone can also echo each other and be very coordinated. Due to creative needs, three-dimensional hollow sculptures are sometimes vividly displayed in parts of a certain work.