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hi everyone. i just found this piece and i find it fascinating. It's a very finely made cup or vase with what appears to be Japanese script and other marks etched into one side of it. i could swear the materials are metal, but who knows. what's striking about it is the quality with which it was made. The cup stands just over 4.25 inches in height. i'm hoping someone out there knows what it is. what does the script say? are those other marks artist marks? how old is this? any help would be greatly appreciated...thanks

Inscription reads in Sino-Japanese
海内存知己　-　Kaidai chiki wo sonsureba
天蓋若比隣 - Tengai mo hirin no gotoshi
If you know a friend who has a heart,
you feel close, no matter where you are
(No distance is far enough to separate friends)

Source; "Farewell poem" of the Early Tang poet Wang Bo
I read the cartouche,　
金石緆　 Kim Seok Seok (A Korean name)

It looks like an enameled copper or bronze brush holder pot.

With regards,
I.Nagy

thank you for your help. it's a beautiful sentiment. i've thought that it might be a brush holder too. not pictured is the inside of the cup, and there's corrosion and/or debris at the bottom consistent with that possible use. i'm still hoping to attach an approximate age to this piece. also, you mention "sino-japanese." with the cartouch a Korean name. would the origin of this piece most likely be Korean?

Dear Jim,
The poem itself is written in classical Chinese. I just transliterated it into Sino-Japanese. The same transliteration could be done into Sino-Korean too.
The Korean artist name suggests the possibility of Korean origin.

With regards,
I.Nagy

thanks for your help.

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