Square-and-circle shaped ink cake inscribed with "Liao tianyi", Ming dynasty (1368-1644)

Unknown artist

明 西元1368-1644年

文具

National Palace Museum

A dark, rectangular ink cake features a circular relief on top depicting a rabbit among flowers and branches. Below the circular relief is a rectangular section with inscribed Chinese characters. 墨外形作一方一圓相接，相接處飾雲紋。圓形部分一面飾樹下與兔子，另面「癸卯解元」楷字，面上並有穿。方形部分邊框起棱，一面「古歙巖鎮程君房製」楷字，一面：「夜光維何，顧兔在腹。冉冉天香，逮爾場屋。幼博。」程君房楷字詩文，由其詩文中描繪夜中見月，並思及「場屋」的情景，可知是藉景而言事，並用以祝賀進取功名的墨品。墨側有「寥天一墨」、「辛丑年造」(1601)楷款。 Object number: 故文000112N000000000 Rights: Square-and-circle shaped ink cake inscribed with "Liao tianyi", Ming dynasty (1368-1644), The National Palace Museum, Taipei, CC BY 4.0 @ www.npm.gov.tw IIIF manifest: https://digitalarchive.npm.gov.tw/Integrate/GetJson?cid=55103&dept=U