4 Treasures

List of contents

I. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….2

II. Chinese scholar’s studio……………………………………………………...3

III. Four Treasures of a Scholar's Studio……………………………………3

i. WRITING BRUSH……………………………………………………………..4

ii. INK STICK……………………………………………………………………….4

iii. PAPER……………………………………………………………………………..5

iv. INK STONE ………………………………………………………………………5

IV. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………7

V. References and Book List …………………………………………………….8

I. Introduction

The Four Treasures refer to the tools found in the studio of classical Chinese scholars, namely, the writing brush, the ink stone, the ink stick, and, of course, paper. Much prized among collectors and contemporary scholars, these heirlooms are at the very center of the study of Chinese art and aesthetics. The writing brush itself has a long history which can be traced back to the earliest recorded examples of painted pottery. Examples of brushed have been unearthed in tombs dating from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.). During the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279), the “Golden Age” of China’s cultural development, the area of Xuanzhou became the center of brush producing activity in China. The ink-stick is the unique pigment of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Comprised of pine, oil, and lacquer, varieties of ink sticks were created for different purposes throughout the centuries. The ink stone, an elegant tool by which the ink stick is mixed with water to form useable ink, has been found in tombs of man noblemen dating from the Han Dynasty. These can take various sizes and shapes, depending on the size of the brushes used and ink required. It is widely accepted that paper was invented in China by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). However, archaeologists have also discovered examples of paper unique to the geography of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – A.D. 23). After the Eastern Jin Dynasty (316-420) paper was widely used, almost to the...