Four Treasures of the Study
By admin on 2015-02-02

The four treasures of the study, is a general name of the main traditional writing tools of Chinese calligraphy, i.e. writing brush, ink, ink stone, and paper. The use of brush dates back to 4000-5000 years ago in China; ink came into being 3000 years ago; the paper was invented in the Eastern Han Dynasty; and the ink stone was invented in the Spring and Autumn Period.

The name of "Wenfang (study)", dating back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties of China (420—589 A.D.), refers to scholar's study. Besides these four treasures, tools used in the study also include brush pots, brush rack, ink box, wrist-rest (Bige), brush washer and inkpad, all of which are necessities of the study.

People engaged in the painting and calligraphy art attach much importance to the choice of tools. Classical products of "Four Treasures of the Study" made by famous producers during the Tang and Song dynasties, during which styles of writing were very prosperous, are highly praised by later scholars, such as Zhuge brush and Duanxi ink stone of the Tang Dynasty, and Liting ink and Chengxintang paper of the Five Dynasties. The superior quality of the "Four Treasures of the Study" can make a direct contribution to the painting and calligraphy art. The amount of outstanding painting & calligraphy artists of the Song Dynasty is the largest, for printing was popularized and paper and ink were produced largely during that time. Many of their works came down without any change in the paper's quality and the color of ink, demonstrating the high quality of these products.

The invention and development of China's traditional culture and art are closely related to the "Four Treasures of the Study". To some extent, "Four Treasures of the Study" represent an important element of traditional Chinese culture.