在清代文房清供中，乾隆年制青花龙纹印泥盒以其独特的艺术价值与历史底蕴，成为藏家竞相追捧的珍品。本文将以一件高4cm、口径9cm、底径5.5cm的乾隆年制青花龙纹印泥盒为例，从工艺特征、文化内涵与市场价值三方面，解析其作为文房精品的独特魅力。

一、工艺巅峰：乾隆官窑的集大成之作

此件印泥盒以瓷为材，采用典型乾隆官窑工艺烧制而成。其胎体细腻莹润，通体施白釉，釉面光洁如玉，展现出乾隆时期瓷器胎釉结合的极致水准。盒盖以青花绘五爪云龙纹，龙首高昂，双目圆睁，龙须飘逸，鳞片层次分明，四肢关节处毛发短促有力，呈现清代龙纹“张牙舞爪、威猛霸悍”的典型特征。青料发色浓翠艳丽，采用国产浙料分水技法，通过浓淡渲染表现龙身立体感，云纹层次丰富，形成“墨分五色”的国画效果。

从形制看，此盒为撇口、弧腹、圈足设计，子母口严丝合缝，体现官窑器“毫厘不差”的成型精度。盒内平浅，专为盛放印泥而制，符合明代屠隆《文房器具笺》中“印色池唯瓷器最宜”的记载。其尺寸（高4cm×口径9cm）属文房印泥盒中的大器型，既保留了便携性，又通过增大画面空间，为工匠提供了施展青花技艺的舞台。

二、文化密码：帝王审美与文人雅趣的交融

乾隆一朝（1736-1795）是中国封建社会的鼎盛时期，制瓷业集历代名窑之大成，达到“有陶以来，未有今日之美备”的境界。此件印泥盒的龙纹设计，暗含乾隆皇帝对“龙”这一帝王象征的极致追求。五爪龙为清代皇室专用纹样，其张牙舞爪的姿态，既彰显皇权至高无上，又通过云纹的衬托，营造出“龙腾九霄”的动态美感。盒底“乾隆年制”四字篆书款，笔画刚劲挺拔，结构严谨对称，是官窑“款识如印”的典型代表。

作为文房用具，印泥盒承载着文人“以印传信”的文化功能。宋代以后，随着油印技术的普及，瓷质印泥盒逐渐取代金属、木质容器，成为文人案头必备。此盒将帝王审美与文人雅趣完美结合：外壁龙纹彰显尊贵，内壁平浅设计注重实用，既可作“墨宝”盛放印泥，亦可作为艺术品陈列，体现清代文房器“可用可赏”的双重属性。

三、市场价值：稀缺性与艺术性的双重保障

近年来，乾隆青花瓷屡创高价，印证了此类器物的市场热度。与拍卖品相比，本文所述印泥盒尺寸更大，画面布局更舒展，青花发色更艳丽，具有更高的艺术表现力。

从稀缺性看，乾隆官窑青花瓷虽产量较大，但专为文房设计的印泥盒数量有限。此类器物需同时满足“胎釉精良、画工精湛、款识规范”三大标准，存世精品不足官窑总量的5%。此件印泥盒保存完好，无冲、裂、磕等硬伤，青花色泽如新，属“全品相”藏品，更具增值潜力。

结语

乾隆年制青花龙纹印泥盒，是清代制瓷工艺与帝王文化的结晶。其以瓷为纸、以青为墨，将龙纹的威严与文房的雅致融为一体，既承载着“章印信、传文脉”的历史使命，又以精湛技艺诠释了“器以载道”的东方美学。对于藏家而言，此类器物不仅是财富的象征，更是穿越时空的文化对话——当指尖轻抚盒盖上的龙纹时，仿佛能触摸到乾隆年间窑火熊熊、匠人挥毫的盛景。

Blue and white dragon pattern ink box made in the year of Qianlong: Imperial atmosphere in elegant stationery

In the Qing Dynasty's literary works and offerings, the blue and white dragon patterned ink box made in the Qianlong year became a sought after treasure among collectors due to its unique artistic value and historical heritage. This article will take a 4cm high, 9cm caliber, and 5.5cm bottom diameter blue and white dragon pattern ink box made in the Qianlong era as an example, and analyze its unique charm as a boutique of literary houses from three aspects: craftsmanship characteristics, cultural connotations, and market value.

1、 The pinnacle of craftsmanship: the culmination of the Qianlong official kiln

This clay box is made of porcelain and fired using typical Qianlong kiln techniques. Its body is delicate and lustrous, coated with white glaze throughout, and the glaze surface is as smooth as jade, demonstrating the ultimate level of porcelain body glaze combination during the Qianlong period. The box cover is painted with blue and white five clawed cloud dragon patterns, with a high dragon head, wide open eyes, flowing dragon whiskers, distinct scales, and short and strong hair at the joints of the limbs, presenting the typical characteristics of Qing Dynasty dragon patterns of "teeth and claws, mighty and domineering". The hair color of the green material is rich and vibrant, using the domestically produced Zhejiang material water separation technique to express the three-dimensional sense of the dragon body through shading. The cloud pattern is rich in layers, forming a traditional Chinese painting effect of "ink divided into five colors".

From the perspective of shape, this box features a design with a curved mouth, a curved belly, and rounded feet. The mother and child mouths are tightly sewn together, reflecting the precise molding accuracy of the official kiln ware that is not inferior to a millimeter. The box is flat and shallow, specially designed to hold ink paste, in line with the record in Tu Long's "Wen Fang Yi Jian" of the Ming Dynasty that "porcelain is the most suitable ink pool". Its size (4cm in height x 9cm in diameter) belongs to the large type of ink box in the study room, which retains portability and provides a stage for craftsmen to showcase their blue and white printing skills by increasing the screen space.

2、 Cultural Code: The Integration of Imperial Aesthetics and Literary Elegance

The Qianlong period (1736-1795) was the heyday of feudal society in China, where the porcelain industry gathered the best of famous kilns from previous dynasties, reaching a state of "unparalleled beauty since the existence of pottery". The dragon pattern design of this ink box implies Emperor Qianlong's ultimate pursuit of the imperial symbol of "dragon". The five clawed dragon is a special pattern for the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty. Its posture of bared teeth and dancing claws not only highlights the supreme power of the emperor, but also creates a dynamic beauty of "dragon soaring into the sky" through the contrast of cloud patterns. The four character seal script "Made in the Year of Qianlong" on the bottom of the box has strong and upright strokes, rigorous and symmetrical structure, and is a typical representative of the "inscription recognition like a seal" in official kilns.

As a stationery tool, ink boxes carry the cultural function of literati transmitting messages through seals. After the Song Dynasty, with the popularization of oil printing technology, porcelain ink boxes gradually replaced metal and wooden containers and became a must-have for literati desks. This box perfectly combines the aesthetic of emperors with the elegance of literati: the dragon pattern on the outer wall highlights nobility, and the flat and shallow design on the inner wall emphasizes practicality. It can be used as a "treasure" to hold ink paste, or as an art display, reflecting the dual attributes of Qing Dynasty stationery as "usable and ornamental".

3、 Market value: dual guarantee of scarcity and artistry

In recent years, Qianlong blue and white porcelain has repeatedly set high prices, which confirms the market popularity of such objects. Compared with the auction item, the ink box described in this article has a larger size, a more relaxed layout, more vibrant blue and white hair colors, and higher artistic expression.

From the perspective of scarcity, although the production of blue and white porcelain in the Qianlong official kiln was relatively large, the number of ink boxes specifically designed for the study room was limited. This type of object needs to meet the three major standards of "excellent glaze, exquisite painting skills, and standardized style recognition" at the same time, and the number of surviving masterpieces is less than 5% of the total number of official kilns. This ink box is well preserved, without any hard damage such as impact, cracking, or knocking. The blue and white color is as new as new, making it a "complete appearance" collection with greater potential for appreciation.

Conclusion

The blue and white dragon patterned clay box made in the Qianlong year is a crystallization of Qing Dynasty porcelain craftsmanship and imperial culture. It uses porcelain as paper and green as ink, integrating the majesty of dragon patterns with the elegance of the study. It not only carries the historical mission of "seal writing and transmission of cultural context", but also interprets the Eastern aesthetics of "using tools to convey messages" with exquisite skills. For collectors, such objects are not only symbols of wealth, but also a cultural dialogue that transcends time and space – when their fingertips lightly touch the dragon pattern on the box cover, they seem to be able to touch the magnificent scene of kiln fires and craftsmen's brushwork during the Qianlong period.