Ching Dynasty, 18th century, scholar’s table stone on a carved hardwood base.

Extensively inscribed:

On the upper right side: (Shows) strange and unusual peak(s), (depicted) in the middle month of Autumn (eighth month), (after a seal carved/owned by) MiFei, style name Yuan (as in Yuanzhang);

On the upper left side: (Shows) clouds and rocks (rocks/crags in the clouds). (After a seal carved/owned by) Hang Yi, style name Xiao Song.

Back Surface: (Shows) wisps of clouds. (After a seal carved/owned by) Su Shi, style name Dong (as in Dong Po).

Mi Fei, also Mi Fu (1051 – 1107), Chinese landscape painter and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty, famous also as a critic theorist. Mi Fei is counted as one of the Four Great Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty. He is said to have pursued ancient styles of calligraphy and assimilated the spirit of calligraphers of the Chin dynasty. He also studied the painting style of Tung Yuan. Known also by the style name of Yuan-chang. In the above inscription, Mi Fei’s style name has been abbreviated simply to “Yuan.”

Huang Yi (1744 – 1802), native of Renhe (in modern day Hangzhou), in the province of Zhejiang. Poet, seal carved, and landscape painter of the Qing dynasty, especially noted for his monochromatic paintings of plums.

Su Shi (style name Dongpo, 1036 – 1101) is almost certainly the greatest poet of the Song dynasty. In the inscription above, his style name has been abbreviated to “Dong.”

Translations by Judith Rabinovitch and Tim Bradstock, University of Montana.