The lid of this inkstone is unusual for its decoration of six weasel-like creatures arranged in a pin-wheel fashion. A few inkstones with similar designs but attributed to different historical periods have been found in tomb sites in Henan province in northern China. The Song dynasty witnessed the rise and flourish of literati art. As an important stationary in the literati studio, the inkstone had become a major object in the art collection of Chinese scholars by the Song period. This is a fine example of a Song inkstone made in a dramatic format.
