The Four Treasures of the Study

 

Introduction

The Four Treasures of the Study (文房四宝 wénfáng sìbǎo) refers to the four essential tools used in Chinese calligraphy traditions: brush (笔 bǐ), ink (墨 mò), paper (纸 zhǐ) and inkstone (砚 yàn). Brush and ink are two of the fundamental “Four Treasures of the Study” tools of Chinese calligraphers, painters and poets over thousands of years. The other crucial elements of culture are the rice paper and the inkstone for grinding the solidified inksticks. No wonder why they are called “Treasures”: in China, the art of calligraphy has always gained a lot of respect and is linked to the highest forms of arts, literates and poets.
 

Each of these treasures is produced in some specific area of China. Some brands have affirmed themselves as the top rank in their fields. From the Song Dynasty onwards, "Four Treasures of the Study" refers to Hubi (湖 笔, brush produced in Huzhou, Zhejiang province), Huimo (徽墨, ink produced in Huizhou, Anhui province), Xuanzhi (宣纸, paper produced in Xuanzhou, Anhui Province) and Duanyan (端砚, inkwell produced in Zhaoqing, formerly known as Duanzhou, Guangdong province).
 

These tools are fundamental to Chinese art and culture and have represented China internationally since the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where Xuan paper and Huimo Ink both won awards, and in more recent times, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. They are so respected and cherished that a tourist in China would even find shops entirely and exclusively dedicated to them. One of the most famous ones is the Duoyun Xuan, in Shanghai Nanjing Lu n.422.
 

Nowadays you can find the Four Treasures of the Study in other parts of Asia, equally valuable and precious, although the materials they are made of can be different. In Japan, for example, the paper used for calligraphy is not made out of rice like the Chinese one, and the components of the ink are slightly different.

 

Origin and Historical Development

The name seems to have originated during the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD), but in some historical material, the Four Treasures are also referred to as “Four Friends of the Study”. The need to find a name for these precious items was due to the special position that Chinese calligraphy occupied in the field of fine arts.
 

In ancient times, calligraphy had a prominent place among traditional art forms and all artists and bureaucrats had to be able to put it into practice correctly. In fact, during the imperial exams, the handwriting was the most important aspect to be able to win the interest of the examiners who evaluated the written tests of the candidates. The sons of high officials had to learn it best because it was a symbol of high erudition and wisdom. Even the emperors themselves were skilled in this art considering that from childhood they received the best education available. For example, the Qianlong emperor of the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911) left a large number of calligraphic works that can still be admired today in numerous temples and palaces.
 

To practice calligraphy, it was necessary to know how to master the use of the “four treasures of the study”. In addition to this, it was necessary to achieve a high degree of concentration which is essential in order to correctly guide the brush in more or less rapid gestures to recreate different effects. When the calligraph hesitates for a moment, the ink slides excessively along the tip of the brush creating a black spot: the agility and speed of movement of the brush are therefore essential skills for those who practice this art form. While writing, many calligraphers forget their worries, they even forget themselves, combining their thoughts in the beauty of this art. For this reason, calligraphy is often compared to Qigong, which can also improve the ability to concentrate, the temperament, and thus promote a healthy ending.
 

It is said that calligraphy is like a mirror that reflects the soul and, through it, it is possible to understand the feelings of the writer. The famous Su Dongpo, one of the most famous writers of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), used to use the regular script of calligraphy to compose the ci (a poetic form that flourished during this dynasty), leaving an indelible trace in the history of Chinese art and literature which, thanks to calligraphy, are intrinsically linked.
 

Today, despite the great social and cultural changes that China has experienced in the last century, this art form is still widely practiced by numerous enthusiasts. During holidays or important events, calligraphies are still commonly done and hung as an ornament.
 

The use of the Chinese writing brush dates back to at least 6,000 years ago. At first, it was very simple and basic, as shown by the paintings, symbols and characters on ancient pottery, in red or black, made with ancient brushes.
 

The famous historian Sima Qian (司马迁) of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) wrote in 'Shi Ji' (史记) or “Chronicles of the Great Historian”, that Meng Tian (蒙恬) used mountain hare hair to make the brushes. Meng Tian was a high official of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) who distinguished himself in the campaigns against the invasions of the Northern tribes and the construction of the Great Wall as a defensive tool. Subsequent generations inherited the saying that Meng Tian created the brush. However, in Meng's time, not only the Qin state but other states in China also had paintbrushes. The difference was only that the brushes made by Meng were called 笔 bǐ, the Chinese name for a writing brush or other writing instruments we know today, while the brushes used in other states, such as Chu, Wu and Yan, had different names. It took Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) to become the first emperor of unified China for the construction and name of the writing brushes to be unified. At that time, however, the skill of making writing brushes had yet to be perfected and brushes were not yet popular, hence ordinary people were not familiar with them.
 

The ink we know today, it’s relatively newer compared to the brushes, as it appeared in his most ancient form in 300 AD, in China, where they started producing a sort of red tincture, formed by the union of sap and resin from trees mixed with particular insects bred specifically for this purpose.
 

Between the 4th and 5th centuries AD, the Wei and Tang dynasty developed a formula similar to that used in 300 AD. Although the final result was the same, the process for its creation was much more elaborate and sophisticated. To obtain the pigments, the oils were burned under a particular funnel, which, thanks to its structure, was able to convey the fumes caused by combustion towards a cover. The residue of the fumes was subsequently brushed and then mixed with resin and sap.
 

Revered as the patron of papermakers, Cai Lun (121 AD), a eunuch of the Office of Weapons and Tools, had "the idea of using peel, hemp, rags and peach strips to make paper". His official biography states that he had presented his invention to Emperor Han Hedi in 105 AD and that he was praised and rewarded.
 

Cai Lun passes now for having improved the techniques of manufacturing paper and for having officially accepted as a substitute for “silk, too expensive” and “bamboo bars, too heavy, then the usual supports of writing. The ancient recipes have not been preserved and no one knows how Cai Lun used the different materials and ingredients. The analysis of the oldest papers found confirms the use of Moraceae. The bamboo, so known in China, has become a favored material and the manufacturing process of "bamboo paper" is described in detail in an encyclopedia of techniques dating back to the early seventeenth century. In most cases, different fibers are mixed in the dough, and vegetable or animal substances are added to give the paper thinness, strength and shine. The texts mention the rush, the straw, the hibiscus, and it is the blue sandalwood that gives the Xuan Zhi, the "paper of Xuan" - from the name of the place where it is manufactured (618-907 ) - its qualities of finesse praised by calligraphers and painters.
 

Since the beginning of the fifth century, the sheets bear the traces - filigree and chain lines - of a mobile form made of a wooden frame and a bamboo stem. It replaces the primitive form, a simple fabric fixed to a wooden frame, which however will remain in use until a very recent era in Southern China or Nepal.
 

Soon, China made extensive use of paper in daily life and developed a great variety of qualities. The provinces delivered different qualities of paper as an annual tribute the most beautiful products to an administration hungry for paper for its currency, its archives, its editions and so on.
 

Some special manufactures met the aesthetic needs of calligraphers and painters, such as the "pepper paper", Jiao Zhi, produced in Jianyang, in the Fujian province (1127- 1279): its golden yellow color and its spicy scent derive from a cooking treatment of peppercorns that also protected it from the gluttony of insects.
 

The existing ink stones date back to antiquity in China. However, the true inkstone age began in the Tang Dynasty (618-905) and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. Ink stones existing in the Song period can be large and often show delicate engravings. Song inkstone may also have a roughness in the finish. Dragon draws in the Song period often reveals humorous and dragons often seem to smile. From the following Yuan Dynasty, on the other hand, dragons display a fierce look. A second great season of ink - inkstone production was during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796). Emperor Qianlong had his imperial cataloging collection of inkstone inkwells in a twenty-fourth chapter compendium entitled Xiqing Yanpu. Many of these inkstones still exist in the collection of the Taiwan Palace Museum.

 

Brush

Among all the Four Treasures of Study, the brush is the most ancient one.
 

The brushes are characterized by handles in bamboo, precious wood, or, in some cases, in porcelain. Equipped with a silk hook that allows you to hang them with the tip facing down, they have bristles that originally came from rabbit fur and yellow weasels' tail. (3)
 

There are many sizes of brushes, from brushes with a tip as fine as a needle to others with an end so large that it allows you to write strokes one meter wide. The availability of a wide range of brush tip sizes is essential for the success of calligraphy, since in it, unlike Western painting, the tip of the brush is used instead of the side.
 

Besides sizes, there are also numerous varieties of brushes, which must meet different needs: the form of writing chosen, the size of the characters to be executed, the style, skill and preferences of the calligrapher.
 

Their characteristics vary according to shape, materials and size.
 

The bristles can be natural or synthetic, here are the most commonly used natural brushes categories:

1) Goat hair brush 羊毫: it is very flexible and generally used for painting large surfaces and for color gradations
 

2) Brush with weasel hair 狼毫: it is used for more precise layouts such as outlines, bamboos, trees and rocks.
 

3) Brush with goat and weasel hair 兼豪: it consists of an outer crown of flexible goat hair through an inner end of main weasel hair, and it combines the quality of the two previous brushes.
 

4) Black rabbit hair 紫毫: it is longer, sharper and has better elasticity than the weasel hairbrush.
 

5) Pig hair猪鬃毫: it is very stiff and strong, therefore it is mainly used for making flat brushes and for writing large plaques.
 

6) Mouse hair 鼠须毫: as mouse whiskers are used to make this brush, its strokes are pure, smooth and sharp, and the written font is soft and firm.
 

The synthetic brushes, whose request is increasing on the market, are mainly divided into three types:

• Nylon
• Soft rubber tips
• Synthetic sponge (used for Chinese water calligraphy)
  

  Synthetic Brushes

The four fundamental qualities that determine a good brush are the tip capable of recording even the most delicate changes of direction; the bristles that must make the writing energetic as they slide on the sheet; the conical shape that allows a looser use, resistance and durability.

These objects are small works of art, the delicacy of the decorations is in itself a reason for inspiration for the artist. Over the centuries, the handles of the brushes have taken on ever more varied and elaborate shapes and decorations to the point of representing historical or mythological scenes engraved with such delicacy as to create no impediment to the fluid flow of the brush.

 

Ink

The Chinese ink consists of a solid stick that liquefies upon contact with water to be used in writing. Traditional Chinese calligraphy ink is made by the controlled burning of pinewood and pine resin in order to obtain the fine particles of soot. Alternatively, certain vegetable oils (such as sesame oil, rapeseed oil, and paulownia oil) can be burned to obtain the soot, often called lampblack. In the most traditional method, the burning is done under inverted pots and the soot is removed with feather brushes.
 

The soot is mixed with animal glue, which serves as a binder. Without the glue, the ink would not stick to the surface when used and would flake off once dry.
 

Other materials can be added to change the qualities of the ink, as preservatives, or to cover the smell of animal glue.
 

The ink is then placed into molds, compressed and dried into the form of an ink stick, which will have to ground with water on a special inkstone.
 

There are many types of inksticks produced. An artist or calligrapher may use a particular ink for a special purpose or to create special effects.

1) Oil soot ink is made using the soot of burnt tung oil or several other oils. There is more glue in this type of ink than in the others, so it does not spread as much. It gives a warm black color and it is good as a general-purpose painting and calligraphy ink.

2) Pine soot ink is made from the soot of pine wood. It has less glue and so it spreads more than oil soot ink. It gives a blueish-black color and is good for calligraphy.

3) Lacquer soot ink is made from the soot of dried raw lacquer. It is shiny and it is most suitable for painting rather than for calligraphy painting.

4) Charcoal ink is made using ordinary wood charcoal. It has the least amount of glue and so it spreads on paper more than other inks. It is mostly used for freestyle painting and calligraphy.

5) Blueish ink is oil or pine soot that has been mixed with other components to produce a delicate bluish-black ink. Mainly used for calligraphy.

6) Colored ink is oil soot ink that has been combined with pigments to create a solid ink of color. The most popular is cinnabar ink, which was allegedly used by Chinese emperors.

Each type of ink can have many variations regarding additional ingredients and qualities of the soot. An artist selects the best type of ink suited to his/her needs depending on purpose, paper type, and so on.
 

The most precious ink sticks are fine-grained and have a light sound when tapped. They are often adorned with poems, calligraphy, or bas relief, and painted. These particular items are highly collectible and often acquired like stamps.

 

Paper

Paper was invented in China in the first decade of 100 AD. Previous to its discovery, bamboo slips and silks were used as writing material. Different methods of paper production have been developed over the centuries in China. However, the paper which was considered of the highest value was paper from the Jingxian (泾县) in Anhui province.
 

This particular form of paper, known as Xuānzhǐ (宣紙), is soft, fine-textured, moth resistant, has high tensile strength, and it’s remarkably durable – so much that it has a reputation for lasting "1,000 years".
 

Its fine grain allows water to spread quickly while, at the same time, slows down the movement of the ink particles: if the ink is diluted with plenty of water, the resulting strokes will be darker internally and lighter externally almost to create a halo. It is a white, soft, delicate paper and at the same time very resistant to aging and alteration.
 

Obviously, in addition to paper, there are other supports for writing and the most precious of all is silk. Despite its value, however, it does not allow you to achieve the same various effects that are obtained on paper, due to the poor absorption quality of water and ink. The quality of the paper depends on the processing methods used to produce it. Paper can be unprocessed, partially processed or processed. The processing determines how well the ink is absorbed into the fiber of the paper, as well as the stiffness of the paper itself. Unprocessed papers are very absorbent and quite malleable, whereas processed papers are far more resistant to absorption and stiffer.

 

Inkstone

Ink stones are tools on which to dissolve the solid ink bar with water, and they are carved and characterized by a sufficiently rough surface to be able to rub the ink stick and dissolve it.
 

They are usually made of stone, but there are also porcelain, ceramic, bronze, and iron ones. Among all the ancient inkstones, there is a jade-shaped stone that is transparent and made ingeniously and very delicately. The ink that is inserted into this stone does not freeze even in the very cold winter. Most of these stones are the size of a hand, but others are larger. Almost all are decorated along the top edge, and some are true works of art. The motifs of the decorations are innumerable, vegetable, animal or fantastic dragons. Because of their beauty, many imperial families even collected them. Famous ink stones include Lu stone from Shandong province, Duan stone from Guangdong province, She stone from Anhui province and Tao flat stone from Gansu province.
 

A good inkstone is important for professional calligraphers and painters, as is the quality of the ink, as the inkstone can affect the quality of the ink itself.