Posts Tagged four treasures of the study
Four Treasures of the Study
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Arts & Crafts on April 11, 2010
Four Treasures of the Study, also called Four Jewels of the Study, refer to the brush, ink stick, paper and ink stone in Chinese. Each of them is an indispensable tool for Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting.
In China, the history of brush can date back to 4000-5000 years ago; the ink was firstly used 3000 years ago; the ink stone was invented in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC) and the paper was invented in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220 AD).
It is believed that the development of Chinese traditional culture and art are closely related to the development of the Four Treasures of the Study and to some extent, they were even an important part of the traditional Chinese culture.
Four Treasures of the Study – Writing Brush
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Arts & Crafts on January 21, 2010
The writing brush is the traditional Chinese writing implement in calligraphy. The earliest writing brush can date back to the Warring States Period (476BC–221BC).
The nib of the brush is made of the hair of a wide variety of animals, such as goat, wolf, rabbit, deer, chicken, duck, pig, tiger, etc. In order to achieve a balance between steely and feathery lines, the nib will sometimes be made of hair from two different types of animals as different hair has different characteristics. Read the rest of this entry »
Four Treasures of the Study – Ink Stick
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Arts & Crafts on November 27, 2009
The ink stick, also known as mo in Chinese, is a type of solid ink used traditionally in China for calligraphy and brush painting. It is regarded as one of the four treasures of study in Chinese history.
Legend goes that it was invented by King Yi about 2,800 years ago. However, archaeologists have detected ink marks on the back of inscribed bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty, 3,200 years ago.
Most ink sticks are made of soot and animal glue and sometimes with incense or medicinal scents added. Of all the ink sticks, the most famous one is Anhui ink stick, also called hui mo, which is made from the pines that grow on Mount Huang in Anhui Province. It is said that it is as hard as stone and will not deteriorate for as long as then years.
Four Treasures of the Study – Paper
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Arts & Crafts on November 5, 2009
Paper is acknowledged as one of the Four Greatest Inventions in ancient China. It was widely believed that paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). Xuan Paper, a particular form of paper of highest value, was regarded as one of the Four Treasures of the Study.
It is soft, fine-textured, moth resistant and has a high tensile strength. It could maintain the flexibility even after a long period of time. Originally, it was produced in Jing Prefecture of Xuanzhou (Anhui Province) during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The production involved over 10 working procedures and more than 100 processes. Generally, it took a year for the production of Xuan Paper.
Due to the high quality, it was regarded as the king of paper and became the best choice for painting and calligraphy in ancient China.
Four Treasures of the Study – Ink Stone
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Chinese Arts & Crafts on October 22, 2009
Ink Stone, also called ink slab, is a kind of stationery used for the grinding and containment of ink. In ancient China, ink was solidified into sticks as there was no better way for its transportation and preservation.
The history of ink stone can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-905) and it reached its peak during the Song Dynasty (960-1276). They are usually round in shape with a concave or a flat grinding surface. Sometimes, a lid, which was made of wood or of the same stone, would also be found together with the ink stone. In ancient times, some people even had their names or other words engraved on their ink stones to be passed on to their later generations.
The quality and the texture of the ink will be affected by the ink stone greatly. Of all the kinds of inks stones, there are four of them especially noted as Four Famous Ink Stones. They are:
- The Duan ink stone from Duanxi, Guangdong
- She ink stone from Anhui
- Tao River ink stone from Gansu
- Chengni ceramic ink stone from Shanxi
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