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

Xiu Fangzhai made this Ink Tablet, with a mythical horse and the eight trigrams, its surface like a deep pool of concentrated black. The image is not painted, of course, but carved. It’s tiny, so you have to imagine the artist meticulously working away at the surface, revealing the forms within this solid material. I like how the horse leaps across the surface, a symbol of energy and transformation. The lines create a texture that feels both ancient and alive, like water rippling around an unseen force. Focus on how the waves at the bottom of the tablet echo the mythical horse; they're not just decoration but part of the story, carrying the horse forward. It's the kind of piece that makes you think about what's possible when you slow down and really look, not unlike Brancusi’s endlessly reduced animal forms. In the end, this little ink tablet opens up a whole universe.