Chinese Horse and Full Moon Inkstone, c. 1850

Scholarly pursuits such as painting, calligraphy, and poetry were a highly respected and revered subculture in ancient China, and demanded their own set of tools that were not only functional, but also beautiful. One of the "Four Treasures of the Study," inkstones such as this were used to mix dry ink with water for use in calligraphy painting. This 19th century inkstone is guarded by a mythical fu dog, or shizi, depicted with open jaws and a long mane of flowing curls. Resembling a Buddhist fly whisk...

Carefully carved from a cypress tree burl, this late 19th-century burlwood vessel is known as a brush pot, a container traditionally used to hold select calligraphy brushes in a scho...

Set alongside the four treasures of the study - the calligraphy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone - a brush pot was a fixture of every traditional scholars' desk. This small wooden bru...

Along with paper, ink, and inkstone, the brush is one of the Four Treasures of the scholar’s studio. Arguably the most important tool, the brush served as a direct link to the artist...

A 19th century Chinese Inkstone. The upper part decorated with floral lotus motives serving as water basin. The Inkstone was one of the four principal ele...

This inkstone is from the Ming dynasty in China, and would have been used to grind hardened 'inksticks' of pigment into paint through a process of rubbing and mixing with water. The...

A simple and elegant Chinese hardwood and brass mounted scholar tray, late Qing Dynasty, circa 1900, China. The scholar tray crafted of a solid and heavy densely figured hardwood ...

A black carved Chinese inkstone with an conforming oval cover circa early 20th century (late Qing to Republic period). The inkstone appears to be slate stone and was likely a She type (SheYan), one of the four famous inkstones in China that comes from She County (Anhui Province) and Wuyuan County (Jiangxi Province). It features a slight scalloping edge with elaborate surface carving that depicts the Sanxings (three beloved gods): Fu, God of Fortune (top right), Lu, God of Prosperity (top center holding a Ruyi staff) and Shou, God of Longevity (center on the lid who is holding a magical peach and a staff with a gourd with a deer at the back) . A towering evergreen pine was placed on the left with scrolling clouds and bats (the sound of bat in Chinese is Fu, the fortune). A famous Chinese couplet...