Jade Crouching Sheep Inkstone Drop

[Jade Crouching Sheep-shaped Inkstone Drop]

Jade Crouching Sheep-shaped Inkstone Drop, Han, 7 cm long, 5.6 cm high, and 1.6 cm caliber. The old collection of the Qing Palace
This sheep-shaped inkstone is made of green jade. It has brown spots all over the body, and the head is particularly serious. It has been eroded into dark brown. The sheep is a three-dimensional round sculpture, which is kneeling and lying, with head up and chest up, and two round eyes looking straight ahead. The face is triangular, with two corners rolled back and pasted on both sides of the head. The body is plump, and the limbs are bent under the abdomen. The chest, lower part of the eyes, cheeks and leg bends are decorated with engraved lines, which are thin and short, and arranged neatly. There is a round concave hole on the back of the jade sheep, and there are two animal-shaped cylindrical buttons on the hole. The hollow hole on the back of the jade sheep, the double animal-shaped button cover and the hollow belly are similar to the production style of the Ming Dynasty, so this object may be the inkstone drop made by the people of the Ming Dynasty from the jade sheep of the Han Dynasty
The jade sheep of the Han Dynasty are mostly decorated with hand-cut overcast lines, which are thin and short, neatly arranged and curved. They are generally carved under the neck, on both sides of the body, and at the bend of the legs. These features can be used as an important symbol for identifying the jade animals of the Han Dynasty and a basis for dating.