Bronze Ink Box Used by Sima Wensen in Guilin

Sima Wensen was a famous litterateur of modern China. He participated in revolutionary activities in 1932. He arrived at Guilin in the Spring of 1939, assisted Yang Dongchun, the Minister of Education of Guangxi Local Construction School for Cadres in work, worked as the Political Instructor of the school, Director of Guilin Branch of the Society for the Study of Literature and Art for the 1st to the 5th sessions, and compiled Arts News, Literature, Art and Life as well as Artistic Life series, etc. He left Guilin in September, 1944. During his stay in Guilin, he was always active in the progress artistic movements of resistance against Japanese aggression with full passion of fighting and indomitable heroic demeanor. Additionally, he created a group of glistening works by virtue of affectionate brushwork and amazing perseverance.

This is the ink box used by Sima Wensen collected by Guilin Museum. The lid is engraved in intaglio with the Painting of Silkworm, which depicts three plump silkworms wriggling among mulberry leaves. The upper right corner is inscribed with "Written by Sun Shumei". The bottom is marked with "Rongbaogong". This ink box was presented by Sima Wensen's wife Lei Lei in the 1980s.