4 Treasures of Chinese Calligraphy

LA333 - Chinese Calligraphy

TERM PAPER

4 TREASURES OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

Group Members:
Nikhil Gehlot (12040990)
Anupam Kumar (11940160)
Harsh Vardhan (11940460)
Bandela Santaz Sahithi (11940230)
Daramalla Nishitha (11940320)

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4 Treasures of Chinese Calligraphy

Introduction:

Chinese Calligraphy has an extensive history of about 2000 years and the written words of
China have not changed since the first century of the Common Era. From a very early period in
China, calligraphy was considered not just a form of decorative art, rather it was viewed as the
supreme visual art form and had more value than sculpture, poetry and painting as a means of
cultivation and self expression.

So how one person wrote something which is as important as he wrote. How calligraphy came
to a prominent position for this we have to consider some variety of factors, like which materials
were used in calligraphy and nature of the Chinese written script and also the esteem in which
writing and literacy are held in traditional China.

It is a very unique form of Chinese culture which also represents Chinese art. It is reputed to be
the most ancient artistic type in oriental world history. For the need to record the ideas and
information, calligraphy comes. The unique forms of calligraphy originated and developed from
China, for writing Chinese characters by using ink and a brush.

The revivalist calligraphers of the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) such as Zhao Mengfu
(1254–1322) developed the popular classical traditions of the Jin (1115–1234) and Tang
(618–907) dynasties.The greatest exponents of Chinese calligraphy were Wang Xizhi and his
son Wang Xianzhi in the 4th century.

Oracle bone script was an early form of Chinese characters which were written on animals'
bones. Written on turtle plastrons or oracle bones – animal bones which is the earliest known
form of Chinese writing.

Chinese bronze inscriptions were usually written on the Chinese ritual bronzes. Which includes
Gu (觚), Dui (敦), Ding (鼎), Jia (斝), Guang (觥),, Gui (簋), Hu (壺). Different time periods used
different methods of inscription. The Shang bronze inscriptions were nearly all cast at the same
time. This is one of the earliest script in the Chinese script family.

Seal script (Chinese: 篆書; pinyin: zhuànshū) is an ancient style of writing Chinese characters
and it was common throughout the latter half of the 1st millennium BC. It evolved organically out
of the Zhou dynasty script.

Clerical script (traditional Chinese: 隸書; simplified Chinese: 隶书; pinyin: lìshū) is an archaic
style of Chinese calligraphy. This script was first used during the Han dynasty and till to the
present. This script is considered a form of the modern script though it was replaced by the
standard script relatively early.

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Regular script (traditional Chinese: 楷書; simplified Chinese: 楷书; pinyin: kǎishū; Taiwan and
Hong Kong still use traditional Chinese characters. ) is the modern chinese script.
This script first came between the Han and Wei dynasties. Even though it was not then popular,
around the 7th century this script became mature stylistically. The first master of this script is
Zhong You. Zhong You is the first person who used the regular script to write something very
serious pieces such as memorials to the emperor.
In Chinese Calligraphy there are four treasures which are brush, ink, paper and inkstone.
Brush is the oldest member of 4 treasures, with archaeological evidence dating to the Zhou
dynasty (1045 BC–256 BC). Brushes are generally made from animal hair, in some situations
the first hair taken from a baby's head.
The Inkstick is an artificial ink which was developed during the Han dynasty. These first inks
were based on naturally occurring minerals like graphite and vermilion. The earliest ink was
liquid and not preserved one.
Paper was developed in China, in the first decade of 100 AD. In previous times, bamboo slips
and silks were used for writing material. The paper of Jingxian (泾县) which was considered of
highest value, in Anhui province.
The inkstone is used to grind the ink stick into powder. For ink we mixed this powder with water
in a well in the inkstone, so we can use this ink for calligraphy. The inkstone is used for store the
ink which is used for calligraphy and then we want more ink we just grind then mix with water.

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BRUSH
The calligraphy brush is special to China among all the various calligraphic tools. Brush is the
oldest member of “Four Treasures of Study”. Chinese painting and calligraphy could not have
developed into unique art forms without the calligraphy brush, and as a result, would not have
attained such widespread popularity. The writing brush contributes greatly to the dissemination
of Chinese culture. Calligraphy brushes are an extension of the calligrapher's arm.

History
The brush was invented in China around 300 B.C. The calligraphy brush has a very long
history in China. Although Meng Tian, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), is
said to have invented the brush, ancient painted pottery shows ornamental motifs painted
with implements resembling a brush. In several areas of the pottery, there are still stains or
brushstrokes that may clearly be seen. This data raises the possibility that the brush existed
before written language.

At least 6,000 years of history can be found for the Chinese brush. The earliest brush
discovered to date was found in the tomb of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State in Hubei province.
According to the revealed artifacts, the production technique for calligraphy brushes has
been completely consistent since the Qin Dynasty.

For instance, a brush from the early West Han Dynasty with a cavity at one end was
discovered in 1975 in Jiangling Tomb No.169, Hubei province. It demonstrates that the
brush head was wrapped in threads around the shaft prior to the Qin Dynasty but was
inserted into the cavity later. The speed and quality of writing, as well as the portability of the
brush, were all enhanced by this modification that made it simpler for the brush to receive
ink.

Components
A brush comprises two parts: the head and shaft.

Head
The head is also known as the brush tip. The head is made from goat, Siberian weasel,
pig, mouse, buffalo, wolf, or rabbit hair, while exotic ones can be made from tiger, fowl,
deer, and even human hair (from a baby's first haircut, said to bring good fortune while
taking the imperial examinations). The brush tip can be soft, mixed or hard which affects
the style and width of each stroke.

The size of the head is generally classified as big, medium or small. The large-sized
brushes are used only for very large pieces and for characters measuring 9-11 cm. The
smallest ones are used for small pieces and fashioning designs for seals and for
characters measuring 2-5 cm. The medium-sized head brushes are widely used by artists.
A medium brush when wielded by a skilled artist can produce a variety of thicknesses of

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line from very thin to fairly thick. Medium size brushes are used for characters measuring
6-8 cm

Shaft
The shaft is also known as a handle. The shaft is made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or
porcelain, as well as some precious materials such as gold, silver, jade, ivory, red
sandalwood or spotted bamboo. The delicacy gives painters and literators inspiration for
creation, and has led to brush shafts being decorated with artistic patterns.

Four Famous Calligraphy Brushes

For calligraphers and artists, a good calligraphy brush is very important. The hair and size of
the brush affects the style and breadth of each stroke. There are four types of famous
calligraphy brushes in China.

1. The Hu Writing Brush was produced in Huzhou city, Zhejiang province. The Huzhou
writing brush falls into four categories. The first is made of goat hair, which is very
flexible; the second is made of brownish rabbit hair; the third is made of stiff weasel hair;
and the fourth is a mixture of weasel and goat hair, which is neither too flexible nor too
stiff. The workmanship of the brush is very complicated since it takes more than 120
processes to complete . These brushes are especially useful and handy for both
calligraphy and painting. The shaft of Hu writing brush is usually made of either red
sandalwood or mottled bamboo, white porcelain or even with ivory. Therefore this type of
brushes are regarded as the best-quality brushes and the most exquisite handicraft.

2. The Xuan Writing Brush Xuan writing brush together with the famous Xuan paper, is
made in Jingxian county, Anhui province. The product got its name in ancient times
when Jingxian county was under the jurisdiction of Xuanzhou Prefecture. Scholars of the
Jin Dynasty (256-420 AD) were especially fond of the Xuan brush. Xuanzhou became a
calligraphy brush manufacturing center and the Xuan brush was listed as a tribute to
emperors during the Tang (618-907 AD) and Song (960-1279AD) dynasties. Folk
artisans at that time achieved significant advancements in their technique in terms of
material choice and shaft polishing. The ability to write and draw freely was made
possible by brushes that were both sharp and precisely cut, yet smooth and plump at the
brush tip. The finely constructed Xuan brushes, which use brownish rabbit hair, are
regarded as the best and are quite expensive.

3. The Daiyuexuan Calligraphy Brush was originally made by the venerable artisan Dai
Yuexuan. Now, the brush is well known in Beijing for its high quality and detailed
craftsmanship. With the semi-manufactured writing brushes from Huzhou of Zhejiang
province which is used as the main material, artisans showcased their immense skills to
create a tool with a unique, sharp point, neat cut, with a smooth roundness and graceful
stiffness at the tip. Because of the above four characteristics, this brand enjoyed high
prestige among artists and calligraphers. Dai worked for a writing-brush workshop which

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was located in Beijing at the east entrance to the Liulichang Culture Street 80 years ago.
His brushes were much better than the brand from Huzhou, even though the same
materials were used. Later on, the Daiyuexuan brand became renowned far and wide.

4. The Houdian Writing Brush was produced in Houdian village The manufacture of
writing brushes came into existence in Houdian Village of Shandong province during the
reign of Emperor Yongle around 1404 of the Ming Dynasty, and flourished in the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911). In the early years of the Republic of China, the purchase of
brushes was very large. So, almost all brushes which were made by workers from
Houdian, sold at Beijing's famous Daiyuexuan and HuKaiwen stores. In 1952, the
Houdian people built a large plant inorder to pass on the traditional craftsmanship to the
younger generation and to develop craft.

Types
There are two main types of calligraphy brush: soft bristle and hard bristle. Later mixed
bristle and nylon brushes came into picture.

1. Soft Bristles are usually made from goat hair,

which is excellent for ink absorption. But these are
not the best brushes for beginners. This type of
brush was used to create large letters that require
more experience. It requires a lot of experience in
the field of Calligraphy.

2. Hard Bristles are traditionally made from rabbit or weasel, which provide greater
resistance than other hair. After each use the tip returns to its original shape, making it
much easier to control the stroke. This is the perfect or ideal brush for beginners.
Professional calligraphers use this kind of brush to create small characters.

hard bristle brushes to create small letters

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3. Mixed Bristles is the best kind to use in the beginning. It is a mixture of hard and soft
bristles. The black section is made of hard bristles while the white section is made of soft
bristles. This combination provides optimal ink absorption and good resistance to the
pressure of the stroke. It is perfect for beginners.

Mixed brush

4. Nylon Brushes provide good resistance, but they

are less good at absorbing ink. When you use this
type of brush, the ink is transferred onto the paper
directly, which means you may achieve different
results.

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PAPER

Paper is one of the four famous Chinese inventions which dates back to 2,000 years ago.It
plays a key role in the inheritance of culture and social progress.During the Qing Dynasty, ‘Xuan
Paper' was produced in Jing Prefecture of Anhui Province (Xuanzhou) became the special
paper for painting and calligraphy, and was regarded as ‘the king of paper'.

History
In earlier times, before the advent of paper, various resources had been used to
record any information or data. In olden days tying a knot with a piece of string is done for
making a note of something as the practice, such as the number of baskets of grain that a
merchant might sell on credit to a given customer. bone shards,Tortoise shell, bronze plates,
and metal plates were used as a writing surface, where the data was cut(in) into the metal's
surface. But none of these can be used for writing properly, but rather could only be used to
record, pictographic terms or in symbolic, the minimum of essentials; they did not help in
writing long sentences for example, the recording of a poem,storytelling etc.

Types of Paper

● Xuan Paper of Anhui Province

● Pi Paper of Guizhou Province
● Bamboo Paper of Sichuan Province

Xuan Paper
Paper was invented in Egypt, around BCE 3000, this kind of paper – termed cyperous
papyrus, by the Greeks bears a little bit of similarity when compared to the paper that would
be independently invented in China 3000 years later, in 105, circa, by Cai Lun, Chief Eunuch
of Emperor Ho Ti of the Eastern Han (25-220) Dynasty – which paper, in contrast cyperous
papyrus resembles modern-day paper.

In the Tang Dynasty, Xuan Paper was in use for painting and writing. A high-end Xuan Paper
is thin and ultra-soft, and has great tensile strength. It’s durable and endures the passage of
time well without fading color, while also allowing ink to blur easily when used.This makes it
ideal for Chinese brush work, permitting texture and the shades of color to be easily visible
with distinct gradations. Many paintings with a history of more than 1,000 years made on
Xuan paper are preserved in the Palace Museum.

Making of Xuan Paper

There are 18 main steps in the making of Xuan Paper, some of which are kept secret from
outsiders.In exact the number of steps are 108. Due to different methods of production, Xuan
paper can be classified into raw Xuan, ripe Xuan, and semi-ripe Xuan.

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Raw Xuan excels in its ability to absorb water, therefore causing rich ink gradations and is
favored by landscape painters.Whereas Ripe Xuan has potassium alum added to the
surface during production process, which gives a reduced ability to absorb water stiffer
texture making it more suitable for Gongbi painting when compared to Xieyi painting.
Semi-ripe Xuan has in-between absorbability between raw Xuan and ripe Xuan.

The traditional process has been passed down to over generations and generations and still
followed today proceeds strictly by hand through more than a hundred steps all of which lasts
more than two years. The steps in Chinese papermaking technology are:
1) fermentation
2) cooking (steaming vs. boiling)
3) bark removal
4) rinsing
5) beating
6) cutting
7) pulping
8) sheet formation
9) pressing
10) drying 11)Inspection 12)Paper Cutting

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Uses of Xuan Paper

Xuan paper features smooth surface, great tensile strength, clean and pure texture and
clean stroke, corrosion, great resistance to crease, moth and mold. Most ancient Chinese
paintings by famous painters and books that survived till today are well preserved on Xuan
paper. For its quality Xuan paper won the Golden Award at the Panama International Exposition
in the year 1915. Xuan paper was used to make scrolls.

Apart from using it as painting material, Xuan paper was also used to record diplomatic
notes, to preserve important files, and historical records. Many ancient papers in the library
are made with the help of Xuan paper and still the same without loss of any data that’s written
which proves that it stands the test of time.

“Five Oxen” by painter Han Huang (723–787) is known as the oldest Chinese painting that has
been made on Xuan paper. As one of the highlights on display in Beijing’s Palace Museum,
the intact art piece, passed down by several emperors and officials in ancient China, was
more than 1,200 years old.

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INKSTICK

Inksticks 墨mò or ink cakes are a type of solid Chinese ink that has widely been used in
Chinese Calligraphy and is considered one of the four treasures of Chinese Calligraphy.

The ink used in traditional Chinese Calligraphy is always black. It is made from two ingredients:
lampblack and glue made from animal hides or horns. The ink is made by grounding the inkstick
against an inkstone with a small amount of water, producing a dark liquid. The concentration of
the resulting ink can be altered by altering the intensity and duration of ink grinding.

HISTORY
The Chinese inks have been dated back to the 12th Century BC along with charred
materials, plant dyes, mineral inks, and animal-based inks.
The inkstick was developed during the Han Dynasty and the very first inks used for writing
were based on naturally occurring minerals like graphite and vermillion. Modern inksticks are
now being made primarily using soots from one of three different sources, lacquer soot, pine
soot, and oil soot.

The transition from graphite inks to soot and charred inks occurred prior to the Shang
dynasty. It is believed that the inks used in the Zhou dynasty are quite similar to those inks
used in the Han dynasty.
However, prior to the Qin dynasty, these early inks were most likely stored in liquid or
powdered forms that were not well maintained, and therefore their presence and
composition can only be studied through painted items and relics.

Physical evidence for these earliest "modern" Chinese soot and animal glue inks was
discovered in archaeological excavations of tombs from the Warring States era, around 256
BC.
In Han dynasty graves, several pellet-type inks and grinding instruments have been
discovered, with enormous ingot-type inks appearing in the late Eastern Han.

PRODUCTION
Inksticks are generally made of soot and animal glue with other ingredients added for the
sole purpose of acting as preservatives or aesthetics.

● Soot: Soot is produced by the hypoxic burning of oils such as tung oil, soybean oil, tea
soybean oil, tea seed oil, or lard, or from wood such as pine.

● Animal glue: For binding the inkstick together, egg white, fish skin, or hide glues are
used.

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● Incense and medicines: To improve the physical aesthetics of the inkstick, incense and
herb extracts from Traditional Chinese medicine such as clove, comfrey, ash bark,
sappanwood, white sandalwood, Oriental sweetgum, or even deer musk, and pearl dust
were added. These substances may act as inkstick preservatives.

The process of burning the pine in a furnace at one end and its soot
being collected at the other end.

The ingredients are combined in precise amounts to form a dough, which is then kneaded
until smooth and even. The dough is then sliced and pushed into a mold before drying
gently. Inksticks that are poorly manufactured will fracture or craze as a result of insufficient
kneading, an inaccurate soot-to-glue ratio, or uneven drying.

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Generation of ink using the inkstick on inkstone

Although various forms are occasionally used, rectangular/cuboid inksticks are the most
popular. Inksticks sometimes contain inscriptions and pictures in their design, such as
indicators of the maker or type of inkstick, poetry, or artistic artwork.

An excellent inkstick is considered to be as hard as stone, with a rhino-like texture and black
lacquer. A decent inkstick's grinding surface should have a shine that is blueish-purple in
reflected light, black if not so good, and white if bad.
Because of the thin soot utilized, the best inksticks create very little noise while grinding,
resulting in a very smooth grinding motion, whereas a very loud or scratchy grinding noise
suggests a low-quality ink with coarser soot. Similarly, a good inkstick should not harm or
scrape the inkstone.

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TYPES OF INK
There are several varieties of inksticks which leads to various types of inks used for several
purposes by professionals.

● Oil soot ink: It is made from the soot of burnt tung oil or various other oils. Glue is
comparatively more in this type of ink as a result of which it doesn’t spread as much. It
gives a warm black color and is good as a general-purpose painting and calligraphy ink.

● Pine soot ink: As the name suggests, it is made from pine wood. Because it has less
glue, it spreads more than oil-soot ink. It produces a blueish-black color that is suitable
for calligraphy and gongbi painting.

● Lacquer soot ink: It is made from the soot of dried raw lacquer. It has a shiny
appearance and is most suitable for painting.

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

● Blueish ink: It is the composition of oil or pine soot and other ingredients to produce
subtle blueish-black ink. It is mainly used for calligraphy.

● Colored ink: It is oil-soot ink that's been mixed with pigments to make a solid color ink.
Cinnabar ink, which was supposedly utilized by Chinese emperors, is the most popular.

Colored inksticks are usually used as accents in Chinese painting.

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INKSTONE

Inkstone is a traditional Chinese stationery. A millstone for grinding and confining ink. In addition
to stone, inkstones are made of clay, bronze, iron, and porcelain. This device evolved from a
scraping tool used to scrape dye around 6,000 to 7,000 years ago.

HISTORY
This device evolved from a scraping tool used to scrape dye around 6,000 to 7,000 years
ago. The oldest inkstones unearthed date from the 3rd century BC. It was found in the tomb
of Yun Meng, present-day Hubei Province. The use of inkstones became popular during the
Han dynasty.

Stimulated by socioeconomic and cultural factors, demand for inkstones increased during
the Tang dynasty (618-905) and peaked during the Song dynasty (960-1279). Song dynasty
inkstones are often large in size and intricately carved. Inkstones from the Song Dynasty
sometimes have a rough surface. Kite designs from this period often feature an almost
humorous expression. Dragons often appear to be smiling. In contrast, later Yuan Dynasty
dragons are ferocious.

The Qianlong emperor had his own collection of inkstones, a compendium catalog of 24
chapters entitled '西清 yanpu' (Hsi-ching Yen-p`u). Many of these inkstones are housed in
the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Four Famous Inkstones

For serious calligraphers and painters, a good inkstone is just as important as the quality of
the ink. The inkstone affects the quality and texture of the inkstone above it. There are four
types of Chinese inkstones that are particularly famous in the history of inkstone art, and
they are known as the "four famous inkstones."

1. Duan inkstones (pinyin: Duānyàn)are produced in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province,

and got its name from Duan Prefecture that governed the city during the Tang Dynasty.
Duan stone is a volcanic tuff, commonly of a purple to a purple-red color. There are
various distinctive markings, due to various rock materials embedded in the stone, that
create unique designs and stone eyes (inclusions) which were traditionally valued in
China. The stone was mined in the Song Dynasty in a wide variety. Duan inkstones are
meticulously divided into groups according to the mines (k'eng) where the raw stone was
extracted. Only certain mines were accessible at specific times in history. For instance,
the Mazukeng mine was initially established during the Qianlong era (1736–1795) but
was later reopened.

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2. She inkstones (pinyin: Shèyàn) come from She County (Anhui Province) and Wuyuan
County (Jiangxi Province).Both counties came under the jurisdiction of the ancient
Shehuizhou county, where she inkstones were first made in the Tang Dynasty. This
stone is a type of slate and, like duan stone, is classified according to the different mines
from which it was historically extracted. It is black in color and has various gold-like
markings. She inkstone was first used in the Tang Dynasty.

3. Tao(he) inkstones (pinyin: Táo(hé)yàn) are made from the stones found at the bottom
of the Tao River in Gansu Province. These inkstones were first used during the Song
dynasty and quickly became coveted. It has distinct markings such as wavy bands of
various shades. The stone is crystalline and looks like jade. These stones are becoming
increasingly rare and difficult to find. It is easy to mistake it for green danseki, but it is
characterized by its crystallinity.

4. Chengni inkstones (pinyin: Chéngníyàn) are ceramic-manufactured inkstones. This

process began in the Tang Dynasty and is said to have originated in Luoyang, Henan.

Usage
Traditional Chinese ink is solidified into inksticks. The bottom end of the inkstick is often
placed on the grinding surface before which some water is typically added to the inkstone
(using a dropper to adjust the amount of water) and then gently ground to make the ink.

Up until enough ink is created for the intended use, more water is gradually added during
the grinding process to enhance the amount of ink produced, with the surplus pouring down
into the inkstone's reservoir where it will not evaporate as quickly as on the flat grinding
surface.

While the Japanese push one edge of the inkstick's end back and forth, the Chinese grind
their ink in a circular motion with the end flat on the work surface.

As was the case with many inkstones from the Song Dynasty (960–1279), water can be kept
in a water-holding cavity on the inkstone itself. On later inkstones, the water-reservoir-style
hollow eventually evolved into an ink reservoir. The inkstone was typically sprinkled with
water that was maintained in a ceramic container. The four writing instruments known as the
Four Treasures of the Study traditionally include the inkstone, inkbrush, inkstick, and Xuan
paper.

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Gallery

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Conclusion:

We can see that Chinese calligraphy has a history of almost 2000 years. According to the First
Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) Meng Tian, he first invented the brush. A brush takes
120 steps to make it. For paper making they cover a large area where they spread the steamed
and boiled sandy strokes exposed to rain and sunlight for a half of year then 108 steps(where
18 steps are basic which is just repeated) takes for making the paper which is a very long period
of time.
It is difficult to make the xuan paper by machine because there are some steps like dredging, in
which they repeatedly do this step so the mixture spreads accurately all over the sheet. So it is
difficult to do this with machines with accuracy.

There are five major script types used today in China which are : seal script, clerical script,
cursive script, running script and standard script.

The Ritual to Pray for Good Harvest which is currently in the collection of Princeton University
Art Museum, is a 7th-century traced copy of a 4th-century letter by Wang Xizhi. The calligraphy
(the central two lines) has been long celebrated as the crown jewel of Chinese calligraphy which
was done in cursive script, the characters are dynamic, fluid, and rhythmic.

Chinese calligraphy is not just about writing, it is also about expressing your art, character and
skills. Because it is not easy to write a single word of chinese letters in one try, we have to do
more and more practice for perfection.
We can see that the four treasures of Chinese calligraphy are very important for their
calligraphy. And the making process is also different and unique.

Now in modern Chinese calligraphy some words are improved or simplified as compared to the
old one. For some Chinese people's calligraphy is their life as they write art by using their skills.

Reference link:

1. Chinese calligraphy, an introduction (article) | Khan Academy

2. Four Treasures of the Study - Wikipedia
3. Zhang, Wei (2004). The four treasures: inside the scholar's studio

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