Inkstone

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If you strike the stone hanging on a hook, with a sharp blow with your finger, it should make a beautiful clear sound.” And also: “A good stone is distinguished first and foremost by the fineness and regularity of its grain. It has a softness and mellowness that you feel when you caress it with the palm of your hand. It has a satin sheen. Thanks to these qualities, it picks up the ink as the stick passes over it, accelerating the grinding process and producing fine, dense ink. An infinitesimal part of its grain is also said to pass into the ink, giving it a superior patina. On a stone that is too hard, the stick is not grasped but pushed away, it slips; the grinding is done irregularly and the ink is less beautiful...

— J.-F. Billeter [9]

The best stones have always come from Chinese quarries on the south bank of the Xijiang in Guangdong. But quarrying these stones was dangerous and strenuous, as they were usually found in caves particularly hard hit by violent floods. Even today, many mines are still in operation, and the oldest stones over a hundred years old, also known as guyàn/ ko-ken (古硯), are much more sought-after than the newer ones known as xinyàn / shin-ken (新硯). Some regions of Japan also produce good quality stones. [1]

A beginner can use very simple stones, which can later be upgraded to higher-quality ink stones as they progress.

Four Famous Inkstones

Four kinds of Chinese inkstones are especially noted in inkstone art history and are popularly known as the "Four Famous Inkstones".

  1. Duan inkstones (simplified Chinese :端砚; traditional Chinese :端硯; pinyin :Duānyàn) are produced in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, and got its name from Duan Prefecture that governed the city during the Tang dynasty. [10] Duan stone is a volcanic tuff, commonly of a purple to a purple-red color. There are various distinctive markings, due to various rock materials imbedded in the stone, that create unique designs and stone eyes (inclusions) which were traditionally valued in China. [10] A green variety of the stone was mined in the Song dynasty. Duan inkstones are carefully categorized by the mines (k'eng) from which the raw stone was excavated. Particular mines were open only for discrete periods in history. For example, the Mazukeng mine was originally opened in the Qianlong reign (1736–1795), although reopened in modern times.
  2. She inkstones (simplified Chinese :歙砚; traditional Chinese :歙硯; pinyin :Shèyàn) come from She County (Anhui Province) and Wuyuan County (Jiangxi Province). Both counties were under jurisdiction of the ancient She Prefecture of Huizhou during the Tang dynasty when the She inkstone was first made. This stone is a variety of slate and like Duan stone is categorized by the various mines from which the stone was obtained historically. It has a black color and also displays a variety of gold-like markings. [11] She inkstones were first used during the Tang dynasty. [11]
  3. Tao(he) inkstones (simplified Chinese :洮(河)砚; traditional Chinese :洮(河)硯; pinyin :Táo(hé)yàn) are made from the stones found at the bottom of the Tao River in Gansu Province. [4] These inkstones were first used during the Song dynasty and became rapidly desired. [12] It bears distinct markings such as bands of ripples with varying shades. [12] The stone is crystalline and looks like jade. These stones have become increasingly rare and are difficult to find. It can easily be confused with a green Duan stone, but can be distinguished by its crystalline nature.
  4. Chengni inkstones (simplified Chinese :澄泥砚; traditional Chinese :澄泥硯; pinyin :Chéngníyàn) are ceramic-manufactured inkstones. This process began in the Tang dynasty and is said to have originated in Luoyang, Henan.

Usage

Grinding ink with inkstone and inkstick

Traditional Chinese ink is solidified into inksticks. Usually, some water is applied onto the inkstone (by means of a dropper to control the amount of water) before the bottom end of the inkstick is placed on the grinding surface and then gradually ground to produce the ink. [13]

More water is gradually added during the grinding process to increase the amount of ink produced, the excess flowing down into the reservoir of the inkstone where it will not evaporate as quickly as on the flat grinding surface, until enough ink has been produced for the purpose in question. [13]

The Chinese grind their ink in a circular motion with the end flat on the surface whilst the Japanese push one edge of the end of the inkstick back and forth.

Water can be stored in a water-holding cavity on the inkstone itself, as was the case for many Song dynasty (960–1279) inkstones. The water-holding cavity or water reservoir in time became an ink reservoir on later inkstones. Water was usually kept in a ceramic container and sprinkled on the inkstone. The inkstone, together with the ink brush, inkstick and Xuan paper, are the four writing implements traditionally known as the Four Treasures of the Study. [14]

See Also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Durix, Claude (2000-01-01). Ecrire l'éternité (in French). Paris: Les Belles Lettres. ISBN   2-251-49013-2.
  2. 1 2 Tingyou Chen (3 March 2011). Chinese Calligraphy. Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN   978-0-521-18645-2.
  3. ↑ China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200–750 AD. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2004. p.  108. ISBN   978-1-58839-126-1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Gansu Tao Inkstone". chinaculture.org. Ministry of Culture, P.R.China. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  5. 1 2 Ko, Dorothy (2017). The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China. Seattle. pp. 62–65. ISBN   978-0-295-99919-7. OCLC   1298399895.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. 1 2 Ko, Dorothy (2017). The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China. Seattle. pp. 20–22. ISBN   978-0-295-99919-7. OCLC   1298399895.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ↑ Ko, Dorothy (2017). The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China. Seattle. p. 172. ISBN   978-0-295-99919-7. OCLC   1298399895.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ Ko, Dorothy (2017). The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China. Seattle. pp. 88–99. ISBN   978-0-295-99919-7. OCLC   1298399895.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ↑ J.-F. Billeter, in Claude Durix, Écrire l'éternité. L'art de la calligraphie chinoise et japonaise, see bibliography.
  10. 1 2 Zhang, Wei (2004). The four treasures: inside the scholar's studio. San Francisco: Long River Press. pp. 39–41. ISBN   1-59265-015-5.
  11. 1 2 Zhang, Wei (2004). The four treasures: inside the scholar's studio. San Francisco: Long River Press. pp. 48–49. ISBN   1-59265-015-5.
  12. 1 2 Zhang, Wei (2004). The four treasures: inside the scholar's studio. San Francisco: Long River Press. pp. 49–52. ISBN   1-59265-015-5.
  13. 1 2 Mi Fu, Robert Hans Van Gulik. Mi Fu on Ink-stones (2018), 84 pages, ISBN   978-9745241558
  14. ↑ Ko, Dorothy (2017). The social life of inkstones : artisans and scholars in early Qing China. Seattle. pp. 81–82. ISBN   978-0-295-99919-7. OCLC   1298399895.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References

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