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In ancient China, one could not write nor draw without the Four Treasures of the Study – the ink stone, ink brush, ink stick and paper. Among these treasures, the ink stone has been one of the most sought-after collector’s items among the literati and elite for thousands of years, for their solid material and fine, elaborate carving.

An ink stone is literally a stone for the grinding and containment of ink. Traditional Chinese ink was usually solidified into sticks for easier transport and preservation. A small amount of water could be applied to the end of a stick of ink, and that end would be ground with the flat surface of the ink stone. The material used for making ink stone can cover a large scale, from kinds of stone to jade, ceramic, iron and wood.

Stone ink stone     Han Dynasty (206BC-220)

The diameter is 13.2 centimeters, 2.8 centimeters high. It was unearthed in 1983 from the Tomb of the Nanyue King of the Western Han Period (206BC-24) in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province, and now is kept in Western Han Nanyue King’s Tomb Museum. The ink stone is made from a cobblestone; together with it is a cylindrical whetting stone. Both of them retain traces of red and black Chinese ink. When exaggerating, several ink pellets were also found.

Nanyue King, Zhao Mei, was the second king of the Nanyue State of the Western Han Dynasty. The excavation of the ink stone has provided valuable visual data for the investigation of history and culture of south China in the early Western Han Dynasty, and also the shape features of ink stone in the Qin (221-207BC) and Han dynasties.

Bear feet green-glazed porcelain ink stone     Three Kingdoms period (220-280)

The diameter is 17.2 centimeters, 3.8 centimeters high. It was unearthed in 1958 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and now preserved in Nanjing Municipal Museum. The ink stone is in the shape of a plate, and is covered with green glaze except for its flat surface, for grinding. Three squat bear feet support the ink stone. This style was popular in the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220-420).