Ink Tablet Decorated with Mythical Horse and the Eight Trigrams 1871 - 1933

This Ink Tablet decorated with a Mythical Horse and the Eight Trigrams was made by Xiu Fangzhai. Imagine the careful hand of the artist, carving away at this small tablet, coaxing forms out of the dark ink. The mythical horse leaps forward, waves ripple beneath, and above, those characters float like clouds. It's like holding a whole world in your palm. I think about Xiu Fangzhai and what it must have been like to create such a delicate thing. What were they thinking? There’s something so cool about the waves and the horse that feels both ancient and totally now, like a dream you can't quite grasp but know is important. I'm so interested in the texture and surface of this piece and the way it feels in your hand. Artists are always talking to each other, right? Across time, across cultures. And this little ink tablet? It’s part of that big conversation, isn't it?