A RARE WHITE-GLAZED CIRCULAR INKSTONE, TANG DYNASTY China, 618-907. The central unglazed grinding surface is encircled by a narrow well, all above an openwork apron formed by sixteen short legs attached to a ring, covered with a finely crackled clear glaze with the exception of the grinding surface and its underside, revealing the buff body.

Provenance: From the collection of Karl Emil Strømstad. Old label to base, ‘Strømstad 441’. Karl Emil Strømstad was an important Norwegian collector of Chinese ceramics. He has written numerous articles on the subject, including ‘Fifty Shades of Green. Den fascinerende celadonkeramikken’, and co-founded the Oriental Ceramic Society of Norway (NSOK). A large part of his collection, which he built from the 1960s onwards, was acquired in London.
Condition: Superb condition, commensurate with age. Some old wear, traces of use and firing flaws, including dark spots and firing cracks. Minor fritting and few minuscule chips. Remnants of black ink on the grinding surface.

Weight: 1,212 g
Dimensions: Diameter 21 cm

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related but smaller (15.4 cm diameter) white-glazed circular inkstone, also dated to the Tang dynasty, at Christie’s Hong Kong in The Pavilion Sale on 6 October 2015, lot 79, sold for HKD 200,000.

罕見唐代白釉百足硯
中國，618-907年。圓形，硯面上凸，四周為環形水槽，圈足上有蹄狀柱托起硯面，形成高圈足。外底無釉，露胎處潔白乾淨。圓形硯堂無釉，可以用於研墨。硯體及水槽均施白釉，釉薄光潤。硯邊內凹，形成圓形水渠，用於儲存墨汁。此硯造型獨特，是唐代瓷硯的典型器物。

來源：Karl Emil Strømstad收藏。底部舊標籤“Strømstad 441“。Karl Emil Strømstad 是一位挪威重要的中國陶瓷收藏家。他曾經寫過很多相關文章，包括“Fifty Shades of Green. Den fascinerende celadonkeramikken”，並共同成立挪威東方陶瓷協會 (NSOK)。他的收藏中的大部分都是1960年代購於倫敦。
品相：狀態極佳，與年齡相稱。 一些舊磨損、使用痕跡和燒製瑕疵，包括黑點和燒製裂紋。 輕微的熔塊和一些微小的開片。研磨面殘留黑色墨水。

重量：1,212 克
尺寸：直徑 21 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的但稍小 (直徑15.4 厘米) 的白釉百足硯，同樣為唐代，見香港佳士得The Pavilion Sale 2015年10月 6日 lot 79, 售價HKD 200,000。