Four Treasures of the Study, Four Jewels of the Study or Four Friends of the Study is an expression used to denote the brush, ink, paper and ink stone used in Chinese and other East Asian calligraphic traditions. The name appears to originate in the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD).
Chinese culture is very fond of four word couplets, and the Four Treasures is another example: "文房四寶: 筆、墨、紙、硯," (Pinyin: wén fáng sì bǎo: bǐ, mò, zhǐ, yàn) "The four jewels of the study: Brush, Ink, Paper, Inkstone."[1][2] In the couplet mentioned, each of the Treasures is referred to by a single epithet; however, each of these are usually known by a compound name (i.e. The Brush: 毛筆, literally "hair brush/pen[3]). The individual treasures have a "treasured" form, each being produced in certain areas of China as a speciality for those scholars who would use them.
The brush (simplified Chinese: 毛笔; traditional Chinese: 毛筆; pinyin: máo bǐ) is the most ancient of the Four Treasures, with archaeological evidence dating back to the Zhou dynasty (1045 BC–256 BC) illustrating its use on ancient bones. The oldest brush found so far dates back to the Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD). The brush is generally made from animal hair, although in certain situations writing brushes were made of the first hair taken from a baby's head. This hair was said to bring good luck in the Imperial examinations. The handles of the brushes are commonly made of bamboo although special brushes might have handles made of sandalwood, jade, carved bone/ivory, or other precious materials.
Modern brushes are made primarily from white goat hair (羊毫), black rabbit hair (紫毫), yellow weasel hair (黄鼠毫), or a combination of these. Ancient brushes, and some of the more valuable ones available on the market may be made with the hair of any number of different types of animals. Each type of hair has a different ink capacity, which in turn results in a different appearance of the brush's stroke. These differing brushes are used for different styles of calligraphy and writing.
Brushes are classed as either soft (軟毫), mixed (兼毫) or hard (硬毫). Their production is quite a laborious process which involves hair-sorting on the basis of softness, hardness, thickness, length, and then making appropriate bundles of correct composition for certain purposes. The most famous and highly prized brushes are a mix of yellow weasel, goat and rabbit hair, and are known as Húbǐ (湖筆). They have been prized highly since the Ming dynasty (late 14th century) and are currently made in Shanlian (善琏), a town in the Wuxing District (吴兴) of Zhejiang province (浙江).
The Inkstick (Chinese: 墨 pinyin: mò) is a form of artificial ink which was developed during the Han dynasty. The first inks used for writing were based on naturally occurring minerals like graphite and vermilion. Early inks were probably in liquid form, and therefore did not get preserved. The inksticks of today are generally made using soots from one of three different sources. These include lacquer soot, pine soot, and oil soot. These soots are collected, and then mixed with glue. Higher quality inksticks are also mixed with powdered spices and herbs, which both add to the aroma of the ink and providing some protection to the ink itself. The glue, soot, and spice mixture is then pressed into a shape and allowed to dry. This process may take upwards of 6 weeks depending on the dimensions of the inkstick.
The best ink sticks are fine grained and have a light, slightly ringing sound when tapped. They are often decorated with poems, calligraphy, or bas relief, and painted. These particular articles are highly collectable, and were often collected in much the same way as stamps are. The inksticks which are held in highest regard, are known as Huīmò (徽墨) are known to contain musk, borneol and other precious aromatics normally used in Chinese medicine. They are still produced today in Shexian (歙县) in Anhui province (安徽).
Paper (Chinese: traditional 紙, simplified 纸; Pinyin: zhǐ) was first developed in China in the first decade of 100 AD. Previous to its invention, bamboo slips and silks were used for writing material. Several methods of paper production developed over the centuries in China. However, the paper which was considered of highest value was that of the Jingxian (泾县) in Anhui province.
This particular form of paper, known as Xuānzhǐ (宣紙), is soft, fine-textured, moth resistant, has a high tensile strength, and remarkable longevity for such a product - so much so that it has a reputation for lasting "1,000 years." The quality of the paper depends on the processing methods used to produce it. Paper may be unprocessed, half processed or processed. The processing determines how well ink or paint is absorbed into the fibre 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 are stiffer.
The inkstone (Chinese: traditional 硯 or 硯臺; simplified 砚 or 砚台; Pinyin: yàn or yàn tái) is used to grind the ink stick into powder. This powder is then mixed with water in a well in the inkstone in order to produce usable ink for calligraphy. The most ideal water for use in ink is slightly salty. Ink was first prepared using a mortar and pestle, but with the advent of inksticks this method slowly vanished. The stone used is generally of a relatively fine whetstone type.
The earliest known inkstones date back to the Han dynasty. The production of inkstones reached its zenith in the Tang and Song dynasties with inkstones becoming extremely intricate works of art. The most highly sought-after inkstones originated in four different locations in China. Duanshi (端石硯) stones from Duanxi in Guangdong, She (歙硯) stones from Shexian in Anhui, Taohe stones (洮河硯) from the Tao River in South Gansu and Chengni ceramic stones (澄泥硯) which are manufactured by a process which is said to have been developed in Luoyang in Henan.
My dear friend:
Spend only 788 USD, you will possess 492 China stamps and 320 China telephone cards. And the post fee is free! They are very cheap. But they are very beautiful and valuable! Every stamp or telephone card is authentic! You will see 'Along the river during the Qingming Festival', which is considered to be the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings. You will see 'The Night Revels of Han Xizai', which is one of top traditional Chinese paintings. You will see the paintings by the best artists such as Qibaishi, Zhangdaqian, Pantianshou, Fubaoshi, Likeran, Badashanren, Shitao, Huangbinhong, Zhengbanqiao, Yunshouping, Zhaozhiqian, and so on. You will see Dunhuang murals, which are called the biggest museum of fine arts in the world. You will see the silk road and the grand canal. You will see the forbidden city and the summer palace. You will see Huanglong and Shangri-La. You will see Chinese ritual bronzes and the terracotta army.You will see Jingdezhen ware, Jun ware and Longquan celadon. You will see chicken blood stone carving, qingtian stone carving and shoushan stone carving. If you want to know the culture of China, if you want to know the history of China, don't be hesitated to contact me.
My facebook:Dazhi Xiao.
My Gmail:treasureschina@Gmail.
List
stamps:
1.paintings:Pantianshou,Likeran,Huangbinghong,Badashanren,Zhenbanqiao,Shitao,Fubaoshi,hexiangning，dunhuang murals，night revels of hanxizai，beautiful painting，along river during qingming festival，nymph of luo river，yongle temple murals，emperor taizong and an ambassador of Tibet ，new year picture，mayuan，huang yongyu and lotus，ni zan，87 deities descending from heaven
2.crafts:chicken blood stone carving,qingtian stone carving,shoushan stone carving，lacquerware，kite，paper lantern，longquan celadon，celadon，jun ware，four treasures of study，chinese furniture
3.Scenic Area：mount hua，mount heng（hunan），mount heng（shanxi），mount song，li river，sanjiangyuan national nature reserve，shangri-la
4.Animal：birds，giant panda，panda
5.Culture heritage：silk road，the fortifictions of xian，maijishan grottoes，chinese tea culture，kizil caves，grand canal
6.World heritage：longmen grottoes，mountain resort in chengde，terracotta army，west lake，forbidden city，the temple of heaven，mount wutai，old town of lijiang，dazu rock carvings，leshan giant buddha，yungang grottoes，summer palace，huanglong
7.Flowers and plants：bamboo，metasequoia glyptostroboides，rhododendron，cymbidium，magnolia，plum，paphiopedilum，lilium，clivia，rhododendron(2)
8.Opera：kunqu,peking opera(jing),peking opera(chou),peking opera(sheng)
Telephonecards:
1.Paintings:zhaozhiqian,qibaishi,yunshouping,birds andflowers,lanying,chenshuren,dongqichang,shitao,liuyujia,likeran,yanbolong,jincheng,yuanyao,yuanjiang,giuseppe castigliones,renbonian,xubeihong,birds and flower,changdaichien,chengzhang
2.Beauties:four great beauties,beauties,four beauties,beauty
3.Animal:panda
4.Flowers:plum,lotus,bamboo,lotus
5.Crafts:silverware,tea bottle,hand held fan,blue and white wares,soft paste,porcelain,jingdezhen ware,snuff bottles,kites,kite,cloisonne,instrument,bowl,beautiful porcerlain,shoushan stone,jingdezhen ware,zhenbanqiao,blue and white ware
没有评论:
发表评论