The Story Of Ancient China’s Love Affair With Inkstones

When ink was a precious commodity, before the days of ready-mixed ink pots, it was preserved in solid sticks (inksticks), ready to be ground and mixed with water for use by calligraphers and artists. The Chinese would use inkstones as mortars for grinding their inksticks, the grinded inkstick powder combined with a few drops of water and stored as ink in a small well on the inkstone itself.

Despite the inkstone’s practical applications, it meant more to the Chinese than any tool to a western artist today. The inkstone was a prized, revered object, believed to embody the soul of the artist’s studio or scholar’s library. Each one was designed to fit seamlessly with other artefacts and antiques in its room.

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