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I inherited this marble scholar screen from my great grandfather and have always wondered what the inscription /red seal translation was. A date? Owner? Or a line about the the beautiful landscape contained within?
I am obliged to those who share their knowledge and expertise so generously so that I can learn more about these objects I have lived with and enjoy. Thanks!

Here is a pic of the entire screen

Would you mind posting a photo of the scene it depicts?

Thanks for the overall view, this looks like a nice quality screen that deserves some follow up research. The inscription reads "imitating Guan Tong's painting, 'Summer Mountains Longing for Rain'", though there's no extant painting by Guan (who was a Five Dynasties landscapist) by this name that I know of. There may be one listed in the literature, but I'll need to look that up later. The "seal" includes the surname Ruan, which associates the screen with Ruan Yuan (176-1849), an official who was fond of marble screens and was known to use the legend carved here (a fact also known to Chinese carvers who might seek to increase the value of their marble slabs by carving them with it...).

Thanks Rat. It is great to know what it says and I will look at it anew with the atmospheric element of a summer rain shower. This piece (unlike my scroll painting posted earlier) has the correct provenance to date it to the period of Ruan. Many Thanks!

A painting by this name attributed to Guan Tong (no way to know if it was genuine) did exist, and was at one point in the collection of Qing scholar Gu Zhenguan (1637-1714).

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