Chinese Monastery Stamp or Seal Depicting Poem

Columns of tiny script climb a slim golden stick of a block on a black stand.

This monastery stamp or seal depicting a poem is from China, and dates to the early 20th century. It is soapstone. Poetry has long been prized in Chinese scholarly culture, and lines of verse are a familiar subject for seals and other objects of the writing table. At a glance, a tall, narrow slab is covered in fine inscribed characters in vertical lines, with larger strokes at the top and smaller ones below. The pale yellow-brown surface has dark inked recesses, and it stands on a thin black support. It is 1.5 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 4.75 high.

Narrow in shape, long on things to say.