Chapter 19 Section 2 She Inkstone, Tao Inkstone, Chengmu Inkstone, Red Silk Inkstone

The Tang Dynasty was a period of high development of my country's feudal society.In the history of inkstone, Tang inkstone has developed greatly compared with the previous generation, both in the types of inkstone materials and in the expression of inkstone style.With the development of the ink-making industry, the accessory research stone is no longer used, and the inkstone appears in a separate and complete form. Tang inkstone can be said to be a symbol of the maturity and perfection of the development of inkstones.In terms of inkstone shape, most of them are skip-shaped inkstones with simple and elegant carvings, simple and practical.It is the conventional shape of stone inkstone after the Song Dynasty, that is, the forerunner of copying hand inkstone.In terms of inkstone materials, special high-quality inkstones such as Duanxi Stone and Longwei Stone (She Stone) were discovered and mined, both of which came out in the Tang Dynasty, opening a new chapter in the history of inkstone.Chen Jiru of the Ming Dynasty said in "Ni Gu Lu": "The mirror must be Qin and Han, and the inkstone must be Tang and Song." In the history of inkstone, Tang inkstone does occupy a glorious page.

Stone inkstone, especially high-quality stone inkstone, is indeed an ideal inkstone material. "Zunsheng Eight Notes" says: Stone inkstone has the characteristics of "hard and greasy in quality, smooth in cutting, brilliant in color, cool in sound, thick in body, complete in storage, and long-lasting in transmission".The famous inkstones of the Tang Dynasty, in addition to the Duan inkstone and She inkstone mentioned above, also have red silk inkstone, Zi inkstone, Tiantan inkstone (Pangu inkstone) and so on.After the Song Dynasty, Tao inkstone, Huangshi inkstone (Fangcheng stone), Songhua stone inkstone, Ju (juju) inkstone, Yi inkstone, Tanzhe inkstone, Luoxi inkstone and so on appeared one after another.The origin of inkstone can be said to be all over China.There are more than 20 kinds of inkstones listed in Mi Fu's "History of Inkstones" in Song Dynasty, and more than 30 kinds of inkstones are listed in Gao Sisun's "Inkstone Notes" in Song Dynasty.Since the Tang Dynasty, the number of inkstones has increased, among which there are even more excellent ones, so there has been a saying of "four famous inkstones" in history.It was originally called Duan inkstone, She inkstone, Chengni inkstone and red silk inkstone.Later, due to the appearance of the Tao (tao escape) inkstone and the cessation of mining of the red silk inkstone, the four are called Duan inkstone, She inkstone, Tao inkstone and Chengni inkstone.The following will introduce some of the above famous inkstones respectively.

She inkstone is produced in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province. It was named She inkstone because Wuyuan County belonged to Shezhou in Tang Dynasty.And because She inkstone is mainly produced in the stream at the foot of Longwei Mountain in Wuyuan, it is also called Longwei inkstone. "Scholar's Four Books" said: "There are stones in the mountains of Shezhou today, and they are commonly called dragon tail stones." Mi Fu's "History of Inkstones" said: "She inkstone Wuyuan stone." In Song Dynasty Li Zhiyan's "Inkstone Book" said: " She stone comes from Longwei River." These all explain the origin of the name of She inkstone.

Regarding the discovery and mining of She inkstone and inkstone, the "Shezhou Inkstone Book" written by Tang Ji in the Song Dynasty said when talking about Wuyuan inkstone, "In the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, Ye Shi, a hunter, chased animals to the Great Wall. Lovely, because I brought it back home, it was published thickly into an inkstone, and its warmth surpassed Duanxi. In the following generations, the grandsons of the Ye family held the order, and loved it. They visited the craftsman and cut it into an inkstone. It was passed down from the mountain. This is to say that during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Ye Shi, a local hunter, went to the mountains for hunting animals. He saw a bright and clean stone like a fortress, and took it home to remove the rough surface and made it into an inkstone. He found that the inkstone was warm and moist. The nature is better than Duan inkstone.Several generations later, the descendants of the Ye family gave it to the county magistrate, who loved it very much and asked a craftsman to make it into an inkstone. Since then, the She inkstone has been handed down.

In the Southern Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the "Shezhou Inkstone Book" said: "In the Southern Tang Dynasty, Yuanzong refined calligraphy and ink, and she guarded and offered inkstones, and Li Shaowei, a steamer, was praised by the ruler of the country, and promoted [zhuo] as an inkstone official." This shows that in the Southern Tang Dynasty, She inkstone was already a tribute.At that time, "inkstone officials" were also set up to manage the production of She inkstones.The "Shu Yan Shuo" compiled by Hong Shi in the Song Dynasty said: "In the past, the Empress Li paid attention to calligraphy and ink, and used Chengxintang paper, Li Tingyu ink, and Longwei inkstone. The three were the best in the world, and they were expensive at that time." It shows that the Longwei inkstone ( She inkstone), Chengxintang paper, and Li Tinggui ink are the most valuable stationery items.

In the Song Dynasty, the scale of mining and production of Longwei inkstone was expanded, and inkstone making became the main production business of local residents.Huang Tingjian's poem "A Journey to Yanshan Mountain" has a very vivid description of this: "Xin'an is two hundred miles away from the city, and the peaks and mountains are like fighting ants. There is no land, no traffic, no boats, step by step through the clouds to the dragon's tail... There are stones in the meantime. Rib pattern, eyebrows and stars alternate with each other. There are more than a hundred residents, and Bao Dai is adjacent to the king. The chiseled dragon (long dragon) is shaped like a day, and the bone is carved out to find the stone marrow. Select Zhan to miscellaneous and use exquisite, often three out of a hundred Four ears. Grind square, cut, sharp and familiar. Look at the shape and name at your fingertips. Not light or dry, natural, heavy and solid, warm and moist like a gentleman. The sun shines brightly and flies to Venus, and the blue clouds are the purple of Duanzhou." The geographical environment, traffic conditions, types of inkstones, residents' conditions, mining production and stone grades of the inkstone production areas are all described vividly and concretely, leaving valuable information for future generations.

In the Song Dynasty, there were many poems chanting She Inkstone. For example, Su Shi said in "Occasionally in the Longjing Debate Center, She Inkstone Is Very Strange to Write a Little Poem": "The fine Luo has no grain, the angle is flat, the half-maru rhinoceros is full of clouds." In addition, Cai Xiang, Zhou Bida and others also wrote poems and essays praising She inkstone. With the development of She Inkstone, many treatises on She Inkstone appeared in Song Dynasty.The monographs include "Shezhou Inkstone Book" written by Tang Ji, "She Inkstone Theory" and "Discrimination of She Stone Theory" compiled by Hong Shi.In addition, in "Study Four Puzzles", "Inkstone History", "Inkstone Notes", Tang Xun's "Inkstone Records", Li Zhiyan's "Inkstone Pupils", Zhao Xihu's "Dongtian Qinglu Collection" and Du Wan (wan bowl) "Yunlin Stone" There are also some chapters on She Inkstone in "Print Spectrum".There are detailed descriptions and discussions on the origin, mining, pit name, category and production of She inkstone.It shows that the Song Dynasty had a deeper understanding and research on inkstone and She inkstone.

At the end of Song Dynasty and the beginning of Yuan Dynasty, due to the war, the production of She inkstone was affected.According to the records of "Wuyuan County Chronicles", "Since the Yuan Dynasty's military chaos, those who carve have become more and more clumsy, but those who know inkstone materials are especially rare." Since then, the inkstone making industry has shrunk day by day and plummeted.From the Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, there were no mining records.It was not until the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty that there was a record of opening a pit to extract stones.Cheng Yaotian's "Ji Yan" in the Qing Dynasty said: "Ding You Xia May of Qianlong, Yu returned to She from the capital. At that time, the dragon's tail stone was picked to cut the inkstone for the tribute of the square. If the stone is not in the rope, the inkstone worker cut it himself. Sold to people." This means that it was mined in 1777 AD as a local tribute.Among them, those that do not meet the standards and do not meet the specifications will be carved by the inkstone workers themselves and sold among the people.Since then to the end of Qing Dynasty, there is no record of mining.Historically, due to a long period of less mining, the spread and fame of She inkstone have been affected.

Many characteristics and aesthetic value of inkstone are mostly related to petrology.From the perspective of petrology, inkstone mainly belongs to sedimentary rock or metamorphic sedimentary rock (argillaceous, silty, tuffaceous or carbonated rock).Generally speaking, inkstone is fine in texture, fine and uniform in particle size, with a particle size of 0.005-0.01 mm and a hardness of 3-5 on the Mohs hardness scale (that is, the hardness is between calcite (3) and apatite (5)), The relative density is around 2.9. Among the famous inkstones, Duan inkstone is sericite argillaceous slate, She inkstone is silty argillaceous slate containing quartz, Tao inkstone is hydromica argillaceous slate, and Lu inkstone is microcrystalline limestone.

Stones used as handicrafts or decorations can be divided into gemstones, jade and colored stones.Inkstone belongs to colored stone. The texture of Sheshi is tight, warm and delicate, its pattern is like silk, its sound is like vibration jade, and its color is like blue.Su Shi's "Dragon Tail Inkstone of Kong Yifu" said: "Astringent does not leave a pen, slippery does not reject ink, the skin of the claws is in the hu [hu], the sound of gold is in the virtue of jade." It does not damage the pen; "slippery" means the stone is firm and dense but easy to grind ink; "claw skin" and "縠里" mean that the stone is as soft as skin and the texture is as fine as crepe; "jinsheng" and "yude" mean There is the sound of bell, chime and Shaowu in the buckle.Po Weng Yanming did say the advantages of She inkstone.

She stone not only has excellent stone quality, but also contains rich and varied natural patterns called "stone products". This is caused by the different components of minerals. layered columns.Some are arranged in a regular manner, while others are arranged in twists and turns, with thousands of changes and different postures.Generally speaking, Sheshi stone products can be divided into eyebrows, ribs, gold stars, and gold patterns. Eyebrows are also called eyebrow lines, which are black and resemble human eyebrows, hence the name.It is distributed in the inkstone in strips, and the background color of the inkstone is mostly blue-gray. "She Yan Shuo" said: Meizi "Nine grades of eyebrows: Yanhu eyebrows, paired eyebrows, Venus eyebrows, mung bean eyebrows, brocade eyebrows (cu cu) eyebrows, short eyebrows, long eyebrows, tufted eyebrows son, broad eyebrow son". The commentary on "Bian She Shi Shuo" says: Yanhu Meizi "the heart of the inkstone has patterns and halos like Zhuchi, and the outer eyebrows are densely packed, like a group of geese flying together."On the eyebrows, "the stone patterns are as thin as human thrushes, and they are in pairs everywhere."The eyebrows of Venus are "the eyebrows are sparse and even, and there are gaps between Venus".Mung bean eyebrows are "slightly black in stone texture, dark and mottled, with short dense eyebrow lines inside".Jin frowned, "The stone patterns are horizontal like eyebrows, with golden halos in between", and "the golden halos are like brocades."Short eyebrows are "short and dense eyebrows".Long eyebrows "Long eyebrows with big gaps" and so on.Among them, the eyebrows of Yanhu Lake, also known as the eyebrows of Yanzan Lake, use the inkstone heart as a lake, and the eyebrows around are like a group of geese flying together.Because it is extremely rare, it is a treasure. Ribbed refers to the silk-like soft texture on the surface of the inkstone [yini leaning on you], hence the name. "She Yan Shuo" said: "Twelve grades of ribs: fine ribs, thick ribs, dark fine ribs, loose ribs, angular ribs, Venus ribs, brushed silk ribs, fallen ribs, stone heart ribs, pebble ribs, Mud rib, Suan [suan] sub-rib". The commentary on "Bian She Shi Shuo" said: "The fine rib pattern is as fine as a Luo, its color is green, its texture is tight and heavy, and it is clean and flawless [wen Wen], which is the strange material of inkstone."Coarse ribs are "like fine ribs but slightly thicker in texture".Dark fine rib "although the rib is thin, it is dark but not exposed, the texture is faint, and the stone color is slightly green and black".Angular wave rib "straight grain counts, such as angular waves".The golden star rib pattern is "thin gold dots are like scattered stars, some are painted like eyebrows, and some are horizontally painted with gold patterns of variable length".The brushed silk rib pattern is "fine and dense, like a brushed silk".The rib pattern of the twig is "sparse and thicker than the texture of the brush wire, just like the row of twigs", and so on.The product names of the above ribs are all very vivid, such as horn wave ribs are just like the churning waves in the river and sea.Another example is the "water wave" rib pattern mentioned in "Bianshe Stone Theory", "the texture is as thin as the breeze on a sunny day, and the ripples of the clear marsh".The ribs are arranged horizontally, just like "the wind blows and wrinkles a pool of spring water". There are yellow particles in the Jinxing Fingerstone, which are the size of a corn grain, shining brightly.Distributed on the surface of the black inkstone, it looks like stars twinkling in the night sky, hence the name.Venus is the top grade of She inkstone.Because of the different shapes of Venus, they have different names. "Shezhou Inkstone Book" says: "Venus has three patterns: sunflower, golden halo, and Venus." Sunflower Venus is a circle of Venus in the shape of sunflower petals.Golden halo is a cloudy golden halo. There is a golden halo in the shape of cloud and mist stripes in the gold pattern finger stone, hence the name.According to the shape of the stripes and halos, it is named according to the shape. "Shezhou Inkstone Book" mentions that there are ten kinds of gold patterns: the golden pattern is like a long-lived immortal, the blue-spotted golden pattern is like a crane dancer, the golden pattern is like a pair of mandarin ducks, the golden pattern is like a fight, and the golden pattern is like a dry cha. ] Immortals, those with golden patterns like golden clouds, those with golden patterns like eyebrows like lying silkworms, those with golden patterns like double fish crouching owls (chi Chi), those with golden patterns like cold geese in the lake, those with golden patterns like golden pots and vases.From the above introduction, it can be seen that the shapes of gold patterns are mostly figures, birds and animals, etc., and their names are determined according to the shape. The natural patterns of She inkstone "stone products" are different because of different causes. Rib pattern is the layered arrangement of yarn pattern like fabric in inkstone, which is clay containing minerals such as silver sulfide, copper, and manganese.Thin ribs are fine ribs, thicker ribs are thick ribs, rhino horn ribs are straight and fine, and horn wave ribs are thicker, thicker, and straight. The above introduction of Sheshi stone products is based on the classification order of the items in "Shezhou Inkstone Book" and "She Inkstone Shuo". Variant performance. Venus is a drip-like fluid like iron sulfide pyrite, the big ones are like beans, the small ones are like millet, and the smallest ones are like fish roe.The golden halo is the "Venus" that melts into a line shape, a cloud shape, and a flow cloud shape.Since Venus is a metal mineral, and its hardness is much higher than the average hardness of Sheshi, the phenomenon of ink damage and pen damage will occur.For the use function of inkstone, it is a shortcoming and a "stone disease".But on the other hand, because the Venus is bright and bright on the dark inkstone, it is crystal and dazzling, and has the effect of decorative beauty, so it has a certain artistic value.And because Venus is one of the characteristics of Sheshi, sometimes it can also play a role in identifying the authenticity of Sheshi. Due to the different pits and mining ages of inkstones, there are also differences and differences in stone products and quality.In history, where the inkstone came from, when it was produced, etc. are often important identification criteria, so the situation of the inkstone pit should also be understood.There are many pits in Sheshi Inkstone. "She Inkstone Shuo" said: "Longwei Mountain is also named Luowen Mountain, and its next name is Furong Creek. It has the most stone pits." It is called Furongxi, and there are more than ten inkstone pits, spreading for more than a hundred miles." The main inkstone pits are as follows. Meizi Pit was mined in Luowen Mountain in the middle of Kaiyuan period of Tang Dynasty. "From the bottom of the stream to the place where the stone is taken is nine feet and five feet, the width is two feet and six feet, and the depth is one foot and three feet. There is no soil mixed in the pit." The Luowenlishan Pit was excavated during the Li family (Southern Tang Dynasty) behind the Luowen Mountain. The Luowen pit was excavated during the Li family (Southern Tang Dynasty) in the east of Meizi Pit. "From the bottom of the mountain to the place where the stone is taken, it measures seventy-five feet. It is eighteen feet wide and fifteen feet three feet deep. The stone is hidden in the soil." The water side pit is "outside Meizi Pit, near the stream. It is only advisable when the water dries up in winter, but it is not available in spring and summer. If you find (excavate) more than ten feet, even stones, there are many golden flowers." The water 嶥 (guigui) pit "is located in the northwest of Luowen Mountain, found (excavated) in Jingyou, ... five feet and five feet from the water side to the pit, one foot and three feet wide, taken through a cage... the stone is like wave patterns". Xitoukeng is "also known as Zhuzhan Mountain, about two or three miles north of Jinxing Pit in Luowen Mountain...the rate of its stone Venus is too slow." Yejiushan Pit "is about one mile to the west of Xitou Pit... there is Meizi Stone with thick and slow grain, which is second to Xitou Pit". Luowen Venus Pit is "in the northwest of Luowen Mountain, forty-five feet away from Luowen Pit". Lvkeng "is seventy miles northwest of the county,... Jingyouzhong, Cao Ping took it as an order. Later Wang Junyu took it as a guard. Near Jiayouzhong, Diao Jiao [qiu ball] was a lieutenant, and took it again The stone has a green halo." Jiyuan Keng "is in the north of the county, and there are three pits side by side. It is called Bili Keng. It is on the mountain, and its color is green. And half a mile away, there are water stepping stones, which are white with heavy rain. Ten miles later, when entering Lishan, the stone is green and fine. There are golden patterns and dizziness, and the fainting is not normal." Many She inkstones have been handed down in history. In 1953, 17 she inkstones of the Song Dynasty were unearthed from the Xiaobeimen Kiln in Shexian County, Anhui Province. One of them has a jujube-heart She inkstone with eyebrow pattern, rectangular, 21.3 cm long, 12.5 cm wide, and 2.8 cm high.Flat bottom with straight edges.One end is a crescent-shaped inkstone pool, and the middle is an oval-shaped inkstone hall.The body of the inkstone is a blue-black fine ribbed stone, and the inkstone hall is embedded with a piece of Meizi stone, which can be taken and placed freely, and can be used as an inkstone cover or an inkstone surface.The design is ingenious and ingenious.Xu Yi in the Qing Dynasty said in "She Inkstone Collection": "The eyebrows of She stone are the best, and the eyebrows are of different types. The ones with green stone color, smooth stone quality and even texture are especially excellent." This inkstone The stone quality, carving and shape are all excellent, and it is the treasure of She inkstone in Song Dynasty.It is now in the collection of Anhui Provincial Museum. On the other hand, the lotus leaf inkstone in the Qing Dynasty is also very rare, oval, 14.8 cm long, 12.8 cm wide, and 2.7 cm high.The circle of the inkstone is slightly carved, so that the inkstone is in the shape of a lotus leaf with curled edges on its back, and the lotus leaves around it are rolled inward.The back of the inkstone is slightly concave, and the leaf base is shallowly carved in the middle.The stone is dark and slightly blue, strong and shiny.The texture is even and meticulous, with dark and fine ribs looming, and the ancient rhinoceros ribs are especially exquisite.The front and back sides of the inkstone are covered with nearly ten pairs of eyebrow patterns, most of which are horizontal but not curved, with slightly thinner ends, in pairs, which are pleasing to the eye.This inkstone and inkstone box is a Yunlong black lacquer box inlaid with mother-of-pearl, lined with inkstone, which is even more luxurious.This inkstone is now in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Tao inkstone is produced along the Tao River in Zhuoni County, Gansu Province, hence the name.In the past, it was recorded in general history books that the place of production was Lintao County, Gansu Province. The ancient Lintao County was not the current Lintao County, but the current Zhuoni County. Mi Fu's "History of Inkstone" said: "Tongyuan Army looking for stone inkstone... on the green stone of Taohe River, it has been owned by China since the imperial court opened Xihe River." Lintao County in the province. "Yunlin Stone Book" said: "The Tongyuan Army is the ancient Weizhou. There are insects and fish in the water, singing or making the sound of seeking. When the natives see it, they hit it with a stiletto or a hard object, and most of them turn into stones. , the color is green, black and warm, it can be used as sharpening, and the eyes are like looking for stones." Tongyuanjun and Xihe Road are the current Taohe area.This kind of Taoshi "has been owned by China since the imperial court opened the Xihe River", that is to say, Taoshi began to be mined in the Song Dynasty.Yuan Haowen, a poet of the Jin Dynasty, said in the preface to the poem "The Research on Tao Stone in the Valley Collected by Guo Tangchen, a Fuzeman": "There is an inscription in the research: General Wang opened Lintao for the country, and there are six million people who have given gifts at the age of the year. This is the research material that can be used in China.” This General Wang is Wang Shao who supported Wang Anshi’s reform in the Song Dynasty. He was the pacifier along the Qinfeng Road at that time. It emerged among the materials and developed into a famous inkstone. Mi Fu said in "History of Inkstone": Taoshi "is as green as court clothes, and the deep one is also lovely, and there are water ripples, with black dots in between... There are also red and purple stone spots." "Dongtian Qinglu Collection" It said: "Taohe green stone is the most precious in the north, green as blue, moist as jade, and the ink is not reduced by Duanxi Xiayan." "Zunsheng Eight Notes" also said: "Taohe green stone is green and slightly blue It is as smooth as jade." Tao inkstone is mainly green, and the top grade "green as blue" is called "Lvyishi".There are often strips of texture in this kind of green stone, just like thousands of clouds and clouds, in various poses and with different expressions.The texture is meticulous, gorgeous and elegant.Sending out ink and producing light, it becomes pearls.The ink is stored for a period of months, and it does not change [he and].There are also Tao inkstone "red purple stone" and rose red inkstone, which are as good as "green stone" for ink development.The stone is fine and crystal clear, the color is delicious, and the inkstone pattern is like rolling waves, like cirrus clouds, beautiful and moving. Many poets in history have praised Tao inkstone in poems. Huang Tingjian said in "Liu Huishu Taohe Green Stone Research": "I have heard for a long time that the duck head green of the Min stone can be used to sharpen the dragon pattern knife in Guixi. Don't think that officials don't know martial arts. You have to try it. Frost-filled autumn rabbit hair." Here, Huang Tingjian uses the green feathers on the duck's head to describe the magnificent color of the Tao inkstone, which is really appropriate.Feng Yandeng of the Jin Dynasty said in "Taoshi Inkstone": "Back in front of Yingwu Island, when you come back with a boulder, you still have a clear glow when you cut it. No one comes to the window in the sun. Sit and watch Yuan Yun spit out green." The description of Taoshi is green and beautiful, shining Brighten. Taoshi is produced in the deep bottom of the river, and it is very difficult to mine. "Dongtian Qinglu Collection" said: "The stone is at the bottom of the deep water of the Lintao River. It is not caused by manpower. It is a priceless treasure." "Zunsheng Eight Notes" also said: "The depth of the river is very rare."Due to the difficulty of mining, there are not many rumors in history, so the "Dongtian Qinglu Collection" says: "Although the elders know that there is a Tao inkstone, they have never seen it." Therefore, fish eyes are often used instead of pearls, and most of them are Changsha Valley is full of rocks. There were also some famous Tao inkstones in the Song Dynasty, such as the Taohe stone inkstone in Penglai Mountain in Song Dynasty.It is 16.9 cm long, 9.8 cm wide and 3.9 cm high.There are patterns of double dragons playing with beads carved around the inkstone.The upper part of the inkstone is engraved with multiple mountains and peaks, and there are palaces and pavilions with double eaves in the middle.The horizontal seal script "Penglai Mountain" is named after the inkstone.On the concave part of the back of the inkstone is engraved the negative stele of Bi Xi (bi xi coin opera), with the word "Xuetang" in official script on the forehead of the stele, and Xuetang is the name of Su Shizhai.There is also an official script that reads "The Misty God Mountain inhabits the immortals, and a cloud of smoke emerges from the illusion, giving it a treasure of ten thousand years. Su Shi knew it in the spring of the fourth year of Yuanfeng".The shape of this inkstone is simple and simple, and it was used by Su Shi, so it is very precious.Is located in Beijing Palace Museum. The Taohe Stone Inkstone of the Eighteen Arhats of the Ming Dynasty is 26.5 cm long, 20.2 cm wide and 8.4 cm high.Oval in shape, part of the inkstone pool is engraved with palaces and pavilions, clouds, dragons and seas.Eighteen arhats are engraved around the inkstone.The bottom of the inkstone is concave, the waves are tumbling in relief, the pillars are standing up, and the fish and dragons are whistling.The sword technique is vigorous and majestic.This inkstone is green in quality and solid in body, and is now in the collection of Tianjin Art Museum. Strictly speaking, Chengni inkstone is not stone inkstone, its predecessor is ancient pottery inkstone.If in terms of the composition of most rocks and all soils (including clay and clay), their main components are silicate (silicate is a general term for silicon, oxygen and metal compounds), so, "Tao" and "stone" are interconnected, so both pottery inkstone and Chengni inkstone can be said to be "stone inkstone" in a broad sense. Mi Fu's "History of Inkstones" said: "The natives of Xiangzhou made their own pottery inkstones. On the bronze sparrows, they used cooked silk to double wash the mud and clear them. The very fine ones were burnt (fanfan) as inkstones." It is also said in the Spectrum: "Put the mud into the water and move it. Store it in an urn, and then don't use a urn to store clear water, but use a cloth bag to hold the mud and place it. When [si serves 〕It is very thin, remove the clear water, and let it dry...Carve it into the shape of an inkstone with a bamboo knife, the size is random, and dry it in a slight shade...Thickly stir it with rice bran and yellow cow dung, and burn it for a while, then put it in ink wax to store rice vinegar and dry it Steamed to 50 to 70 degrees, it is inferior to stone." In Ming Dynasty Chen Jiru's "Pearl Boat", it is said: "Jiang County people are good at making clear mud, sewing silk bags and sending them to Fen River, and they are taken over the years, pottery [ yao 摇〕 (Tong Kiln character) is an inkstone." From the above records, we know that the production method of the Chengni inkstone is basically to sew the pouch with fine fabric, hold the mud "Cheng Zhi", shape it and dry it in the shade, and fire it into an inkstone. Because of the "Chengni" method Production, hence the name "Chengni Inkstone".The Wei Tongque Terrace tile inkstone described in the "Four Puzzles of the Study Room" was introduced earlier. Judging from the production method of the tile, it has already shown the clues of the future Chengni inkstone production method. In the Song Dynasty Li Zhiyan's "Inkstone Book" said: "Guozhou (now Lingbao City, Henan Province) Chengmu, Tang people tasted inkstone, thought it was the first, and today people seldom use it. Lu Weng, a Taoist from Zezhou, made Chengni inkstone, which is as hard as a stone. Hand Feel dizzy when you touch it, with the word 'Lu' on it." From the above records, it can be seen that Chengni inkstones had already been produced in the Tang Dynasty.In the Tang Dynasty and after the Tang Dynasty, there were more than one production places.For example, Guozhou, Xiangzhou (now Cheng'an County in the south of Hebei Province and Anyang City in the north of Henan Province), Jiangzhou (now Xinjiang County, Shanxi Province), Zezhou (now Jincheng City, Shanxi Province) and other places, that is, today's Hebei Province It is produced in the south, northern Henan and southern Shanxi. Due to the difference in the composition of the raw material of the sediment and the degree of firing, the color of the clear mud inkstone is also different.For example, "those who are colored green like spring waves, or black and white are used as water patterns" (Mi Fu's "History of Inkstone").There is "Chengni inkstone, pure purple, but firm like Duanxi stone, with a resounding sound when buckled" (Song Dynasty He Xun's "Chunzhu Jiwen·Jie Inkstone").Qing Xie Kun's "Chengni Research" said: Chengni inkstone "yellow quality, black chapter name 鱓 [shan Shan with the word "eel"] yellow fish, the cover color is like the back of a fish. And the blue color is called crab shell The green and red ones are called shrimp head red, and the white ones are called fish belly white".From this point of view, Chengni inkstone can also produce colorful inkstone products, which are not inferior to the natural colors of other inkstones. There are also some famous Chengni inkstones handed down in history. One is Su Shi’s goose-style Chengni inkstone in Song Dynasty, which is 12.7 cm long, 8.8 cm wide and 2.7 cm high.The inkstone is in the shape of a goose turning its neck and looking back, the body of the goose is the surface of the inkstone, the deep part is the inkstone pool, and the shallow part is the inkstone hall.The official script "Goose Opera" on the back of the inkstone is signed: "Dongpo Jushi Shi" in regular script.This inkstone was tossed and turned several times before it entered the Qing Palace.Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty wrote a special poem chanting the inkstone: "The inkstone made of clear mud is Xiao Goose [100 million], and Dongpo wants to use it engraved on the back. It is set to exchange for the group's legacy. The people are worthy of studying it." On the side, the imperial seal of the "Taifu" on the back of the poem [qian pliers], and the regular script "Qianlong Xinchou Jixia Imperial Inscription".The inkstone box is a rosewood wooden goose-shaped box.Is located in Beijing Palace Museum. The Chengni Inkstone collected by Yunxiang in the Qing Dynasty is also famous.The inkstone is in the shape of a tile, 33 centimeters long, 19.3 centimeters wide and 2.3 centimeters high.Inscribed on the side of the inkstone is "Yi Wang Bingyu Taoist Treasure".The color of the inkstone is like tea powder, and it is as smooth as jade.The surface of the inkstone is smooth and has no grain, and the body of the inkstone is neat and stretched.Yunxiang is the thirteenth son of Kangxi, named Prince Yi.The famous "Ji Maoben" is the copy collected by Yunxiangfu, so it is also called "Yifuben".All his life, Yun Xiang was addicted to brush and ink, and liked to collect them.This inkstone is now in the Tianjin Museum. Tang Xun's "Inkstone Record" in the Song Dynasty said: "The red silk stone in Heishan, Qingzhou is the inkstone." There are engraved characters on the cliff at the entrance of the cave, which were recorded by the stone quarry in the middle of Tang Dynasty." "Qingzhou Fu Zhi" records, "Red silk stone is produced in Laoyagu in the south of Linqu [qu Qu] County". From the above records, it can be seen that the red silk inkstone was mined in the Zhonghe period of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty (881-885 A.D.).Its origin is Heishan in Qingzhou (now Qingzhou City, Shandong Province) and Laoyagu in Linqu (now Linqu County, Shandong Province). "Yunlin Stone Spectrum" said: "Qingzhou... In the soil of red silk stone, its quality is red, yellow and red, like brush silk lingering on the stone surface." Because the inkstone has "red lines" and "silk red", it is named "Red Silk Inkstone". Mi Fu's "History of Inkstone" said: "The red silk stone is deep and good." Regarding the characteristics of the red silk inkstone, Wang Chunxu of the Qing Dynasty said in "Shoushizhai Inkstone Book": "Testing it with ink is different from other stones. There are three: other stones are warm and lubricating, especially those that are soaked in water and nourishing liquid comes out of it, rubbed with hands for a long time, sticking like ointment, one thing; Its physique is firm and beautiful. This is because there is often ointment, moistening and floating, and the color of the ink is coagulated like lacquer. Two things; other stones are used up, and sometimes they are not engraved. Secondly, the ink will dry up between the final meals. This stone is replaced by a box. The color of the ink does not dry during the constant day, and its air evaporates up and down at night, and it is like rain and dew in the box, three." That is to say, the stone is fine and dense, and it is more ink-prone. Red silk inkstone is also varied in color and variety.Generally speaking, there are the following types. The purple-red ground gray-yellow silk-patterned stone is soft and silky.Rich in color, well-inked and oily.Because the interlayer of pit veins is thin, it is extremely difficult to obtain, so it is more precious.During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Liu Gongquan, Ouyang Xiu, Tang Xun, Su Yijian and others highly respected it.Produced in Montenegro, it is the most valuable type of red silk inkstone. Pig liver-colored gray-yellow silk-patterned stone is fine and moist, deep in color, moderately soft and hard, and well-developed.Produced in Laoyagu. The texture of purple red ground red silk is firm and delicate, the color is bright, and the hair is ink and shiny.Produced in Laoyagu. The texture of yellow ground red silk is firm and smooth, bright in color, impermeable to water, not stained with ink, crisp and pleasant to the ear, but the stone texture is slippery, and the ink is blunt.Produced in Laoyagu. The purple red ground yellow silk pattern stone is smooth and beautiful, firm but not stubborn.Because of the inclusion of quartz, it is rare to find a big talent.Produced in Laoyagu. Red silk inkstone has natural texture and different shapes.The colors are colorful and varied.Some are like clouds and water, mountains, and some are like flowers, birds and animals.Because of the quartz contained in the stone, ice patterns, swirling patterns, stripes, spots, etc. are formed, which constitute the unique literary grace and illustrations of the red silk inkstone. Since the mining of red silk inkstones ceased after the Song Dynasty, they were rarely seen in the world and were not circulated much, but there were also some famous inkstones.Gao Fenghan, a painter of the Qing Dynasty mentioned above, has a very rich collection of inkstones, including red silk inkstones.In his book "History of Inkstone", the 37th side is the red silk inkstone. Because Gao Fenghan is from Jiaozhou, Shandong (now Jiaozhou City, Shandong Province), the inscription engraved is: "Beauty is not beautiful, the water in the village, why bother?" , She Zhizhi, Duanzhi Zi", Qianli water shield (chun pure) soup, expresses his nostalgia and love for the red silk inkstone in his hometown. Historically, inkstones were produced in many places in Shandong. "Zunsheng Eight Notes" records that "Mojiao inkstone, red silk inkstone, yellow jade inkstone, brown inkstone, purple gold inkstone, magpie gold inkstone inkstone, all came from Shandong." In addition, the book also Mentioned "Zizhou gold inkstone,...Qingzhou Shimo inkstone".Qingzhou Shimo inkstone is clear mud inkstone. "Inkstone Record" said: "Shimo inkstone, scholars take rotten stones, grind the fine powder, burn it for research, that is, Liu Gongquan is the first one." Zi inkstone in Mi Fu's "Inkstone History "There is a record in "Zizhou inkstone, Zizhou stone is slippery and easy to wear out, and it is second to building stone." In the Qing Dynasty, Yu Huai's "Inkstone Lin" also said: "Song Xining Zhong Shang Zi stone research, Shenzong personally chooses the best one. , to Sima Wengong.” Song Shenzong rewarded Ziyan to Sima Guang, which shows that in the Song Dynasty, Ziyan was also a famous inkstone.Ziyan was also mentioned in Cao Zhao's "Ge Gu Yao Lun" in the Ming Dynasty.Sheng Baier's "Zi Inkstone Record" in the Qing Dynasty comprehensively compiled the information of Zi inkstone, and also described other inkstones in Shandong. In the history of inkstone, in addition to the "Four Famous Inkstones", there are many other famous inkstones, which will be introduced below. Tiantan Inkstone is produced in Tiantan Mountain, Jiyuan County, Henan Province, hence the name.Also known as Pangu Inkstone.Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty had "Temple of Inkstone Inscription": "The Confucian scholar Gao Chang and Yu went down to the Temple of Heaven, and the inkstone was obtained in the middle, like a horseshoe, with a solitary outer edge and black color inside, which is unique and natural." It shows that the inkstone in the Temple of Heaven in the Tang Dynasty has been mined.The "Xie's Inkstone Research" written by Xie Xie in the Qing Dynasty also said: "Pangu is the hidden place of Li Yuan in the Tang Dynasty. The stones produced can be inkstones, banana leaves, blue flowers, jade belts, and gold threads. They can be mixed with the stones at the end of the new pit. The ink is a bit rough, and the stone is easy to peel off, so it is inferior in production, and Pangu is located in twenty-five miles of Jibei." From this, it can be seen that Tiantan inkstone is also an ancient famous inkstone. Songhua stone inkstone is produced in Baishan City, Jilin Province. It is named because it is produced in the birthplace of the Songhua River, also known as Songhua jade.In the Qing Dynasty Chen Yuanlong's "Ge Wu Jing Yuan" said: Songhua River whetstones and rocks are "warm and moist like jade, cyanotic (gen dry) green and flawless, firm and fine in quality, tender and pure in color, smooth and not repelling ink, astringent and not stagnant. ...the magic of the inkstone is everything."In the Qing Dynasty, because the Changbai Mountain area was the birthplace of the ancestors of the Manchus, Songhua stone inkstones were exclusively used by the royal family. Luoxi inkstone Luoxi inkstone is named after the Luoxi of Dongluoxi, a tributary of the lower reaches of Zhuoshui River, in Changhua County, Taiwan Province.According to "Changhua County Chronicles", Yang Qiyuan in the Qing Dynasty wrote "Dongluoxi Inkstone Records": "There is a stream forty miles south of Zhangzhi. It originates from the inner mountain and is connected by water and sand. It is divided into four branches, and the northernmost is the east. Luoxi, the stream produces stones, which can be cut into inkstones. The color is blue and round, and the quality is moist and millet. There are gold sand, silver sand, and water ripples, which are inferior to the stones in Duanxi. However, they are mostly mixed in sand and gravel. Within the mud, you can't see it unless you choose it clearly, just like picking gold through sand." Luoxi originates from the foothills near Shuishalian (that is, Sun Moon Lake), and Luoxi stones are "mostly mixed in sand and gravel", so It is picked on the river bed.Because these brook stones are "blue in color and original" and are black pebbles, they are also called "black jade". The stone color and stone pattern of Luoxi inkstone can be described as colorful and colorful.It can be divided into five major categories of main colors: jet black, emerald green, ocher red, earthy yellow and off-white.There are gold sand, silver sand, water ripples and other patterns.The Luoxi inkstone in Baodao is also one of the famous inkstones in the motherland. Finally, I will give a special introduction to the Duan inkstone, the first of the "Four Famous Inkstones" in my country.