QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

The back of the inkstone is inscribed with the seal Keisoshitsu (Jingsu Studio). The owner of Keisoshitsu, Yonezawa Akihiro (1923–1982), was a Japanese collector of Chinese paintings and works of art. His studio name, Keisoshitsu was inspired by the Song dynasty artist and poet Su Shi, whom he greatly admired. He was a frequent visitor to Gyokusendo, an antique shop established in 1818 in Tokyo specialising in scholar's objects.