Inkstone Collection: What do the four famous inkstones refer to and what are their characteristics?

In ancient times, inkstones were stationery for study, and the history of making inkstones in China can be traced back to the primitive stone society. At first, inkstone was painted with pigment and ground on stone. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the inkstone was basically formed, and in the Han Dynasty, it was basically accepted. Since then, it has become a whole without grindstones. So, what are the four famous inkstones?

1. Duanyan Stone: produced in Duan Xi, Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province. The common stone products in Duanyan include fish brain jelly, swinging blue and white, banana leaf white, azure, emerald, Venus dot, water pattern, money line, stone eye and so on. Its production process is very hard, from exploration, excavation, transportation, material selection, carving, polishing, water washing to packing, with many and detailed processes.

2. She inkstone: produced in Shexian County, Anhui Province, made in the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. There are natural textures, such as Venus, eyebrows, thin ribs, water waves and so on. "Venus" is fused in the inkstone, which looks like a grain, with a large number and luster; "Eyebrows" are like eyebrows, thick, thin, sparse and dense, each with its own differences; "Water ripple" is like the ripple of water, which changes endlessly. Influenced by Huizhou brick carving and wood carving, She Yan's carving art has a unique artistic style, simple shape and generous symmetry.

3. Taohe inkstone: produced at the bottom of Taohe River in Yantao Township, southwest Gansu Province, with dark green color. After grinding, you can see the yellow waterline, such as waves and clouds. Taohe inkstone has been famous all over the world since the Tang Dynasty. It has the advantages of quick inking, durability, lasting water storage, strong color retention and moisture retention, and pen friendliness.

4. Cheng Ni inkstone: Before the Tang Dynasty, inkstone became the only ink grinding tool for ancient people to make books and paintings, among which Cheng Ni inkstone fired in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province and Baoshan, Jiangsu Province was very famous. The quality of Cheng Ni inkstone can be seen from the color and spots: eel yellow is the best color, followed by Qingtou; There are spots on loess, which are called sand spots. The bigger one is called bean paste, and the smaller one is called mung bean paste. Generally, there are some fine points, which are very suitable for dripping ink.