IQ encyclopedia] China's four famous ink stone crown DuanYan from where?

DuanYan is one of China's four famous inkstones, it and Anhui SheYan, Gansu TaoHeYan and Shandong QingZhouYan known as China's four famous inkstones. Among them to the first DuanYan. Because it is produced in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, Zhaoqing is known as Duanzhou, so it has this name.

Duan inkstone with the longest history of the old pit, the best stone quality, because it is produced in the poor abyss deep valley, so the jade muscle greasy texture, into the hands of the warm, winter season, other inkstone in the ink will often be frozen, while the ink in the inkstone is still as good as ever. Since the late Tang Dynasty, the inkstone made by the old pit is classified as tribute, so it is also known as the Imperial Rock. Since the introduction of the inkstone in the Tang Dynasty, due to its distinctive stone quality and "ink does not damage the hair", "gas research ink" characteristics, has always been valued by the literati and scholars. The early Tang Dynasty inkstone, completely practical-oriented. No decorative carving on the inkstone. In the middle Tang Dynasty began to develop in the direction of combining utility and craftsmanship. To the Song Dynasty, DuanYan style has been colorful. Ming and Qing dynasties, the inkstone has reached the height of the "fine art", showing egg-shaped, divine axe, golden bells, guqin, melon and other forms, a variety of different kinds, a thousand shapes and sizes. In terms of content and subject matter, most of them are based on antique vessels and antique figures. In addition, there are landscapes, ladies, animals, birds, flowers, insects and fish and other patterns.

DuanYan's production process is very complex, divided into quarrying, material selection, carving, with boxes and other processes, the surface of the stone pattern of fish brain jelly, blue and white, rose violet, fire, ice, azure and so on. Such as a kind of famous product for "banana leaf white", such as banana leaf first show, including dew colorful and delicate, a rare weather. There are stone eyes of the ink stone is particularly valuable and rare, has been worshiped as treasures. The most valuable inkstone first "mynah eyes", get is priceless. "Mynah eye" refers to a round spot on the ink stone, white, red, yellow color halo, some halo lines have several heavy to ten heavy, and both pupil, looks like the eyes of birds and animals, so the collection of the world has always been "a thousand gold a glance" said. Before the liberation of the old pit ink stone has become a precious antique cultural relics.

From the famous carving inscription inkstone is a rare ancient art treasures, has a high value of collection and investment. Even modern imitation inkstone, its price is often in the hundreds of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan ranging. 1993 April in Hong Kong, a pair of Qing dynasty rectangular with eyes pine tree inkstone 34.1 cm long was bought at an auction price of 368,000 Hong Kong dollars, at present, some collectors of inkstones more attention, it is rumored that some of the inkstone industry in Japan has been in the next force to search for China's ancient inkstones.