She stones, like this example, come from Wuyuan in She County in Anhui province. Like the duan stone, She stone also possesses natural features that add to the natural beauty of the inkstone. These features include a wide variety of 'streaks' often seen on the ink pool. The production of she inkstones began as early as the Tang period and halted from Yuan period onwards, until its revival during Qianlong's reign (1736-1795). Common motifs include the ‘chi’ dragon, cloud motifs and floral sprays. This dark inkstone, due to its high mineral content, could have been mined from Wuyuan’s Mount Longwei. One side of this inkstone is flat and smooth, while the other has an ink pool. The box, made of 'suanzhi' or blackwood, has jade inlaid on the cover. Incised with a fisherman on his boat, this subtle decoration on the jade provides an interesting contrast to the plain flat surface of the inkstone.
