Qing Dynasty
Length: 27.2cm
Width: 22.1cm
Height: 22.5cm

The box is rectangular and has a lid, with eight small feet shaped like ruyi (an S-shaped ornamental object, formerly a symbol of good luck). There are six characters "da qing qian long nian zhi" (meaning "made during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty") in seal character style carved in the middle of the bottom. The whole body of the box is gilded and engraved with patterns, with enamelwork embedded in. The lid is engraved with motifs of intertwining branches and flowers, with a round silver piece embedded in the center. The silver piece is adorned with blue enamelwork bearing the motif of coiled dragons playing with a pearl. The box is engraved with one-legged dragon patterns, with the four sides embedded with blue enamelwork in the middle, the motifs of which are the same as that on the lid.

This ink-stone box is made with superb craftsmanship. Inside the box, there's a rectangular silver drawer, on which two square ink-stones are placed. The two round silver pieces adorned with blue enamelwork on two opposite sides are connected by a semi-circle shaped drawer, which can be pulled out to hold ink ingots.