Brushes, ink, paper, and the inkstone are the "four treasures of the studio." Scholars have relied on the these as their principal tools, whether for writing or painting, from ancient times to the present day. They are the Chinese people's unique invention, and after several thousand years of existence, countless writers and artists have used them to achieve countless works of literature and art.

Materials discovered in archaeological excavations show that inkstones were made even during the Neolithic Period. Tools for grinding pigment, the ancient prototypes of inkstones, have been found in Shensi Province, at the Chiang-chai site of the Yang-shao culture. Tuan stone and she stone were discovered and adopted for use during the T'ang Dynasty(618-907), taking Chinese inkstone carving into a Golden Age. Scholars of this period began to advocate the use of high-quality stone, and the technology for making inkstones advanced rapidly.

The inkstone catalogue is a special type of Chinese literary work, which became popular among scholars during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279). Dozens of inkstone catalogues were compiled, becoming standard references for future scholars. The Yen-p'u (Inkstone catalogue) written by Ou-yang Hsiu is a brief 700 characters long, but nonetheless it describes the source, appearance, and quality of Tuan stone, She stone, Ch'ing-chou golden purple stone, red-veined stone, Hsiang-chou ancient roof-tiles, and more.

The Yen-lu (Inkstone record) by T'ang Hsi, the Yen-shi (Inkstone history) by Mi Fu, and the Yen-p'u (Inkstone catalogue) compiled by Li Chih-yen all provide detailed descriptions of the materials and places of production of many kinds of inkstones used by Sung Dynasty scholars. The Yen-chien (Comments on inkstones) written by Kao Szu-sun gives a systematic introduction to the materials and appearance of inkstones. Kao Szu-sun discusses Tuan stone, She stone, special inkstones, and inscriptions and verse written about inkstones.        The tradition of inkstone catalogues continued during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when scholars wrote numerous pamphlets about inkstones. The most famous are the "Lun ku-yen (Discussions on old inkstones)" from the Ko-ku Yao-lun (Essential Criteria of Antiquities) by Ts'ao Chao, written in 1388; and the "Lun yen (Discussions on inkstones)" from the Tsun-sheng Pa Chien (Eight Discourses on the Art of Living) by Kao Lien, written in 1591. These authors began the practice of including sketches of the different types of inkstones they had seen, giving future generations a clear understanding of the appearance of the pieces. Up to the Ming Dynasty, it is clear that most scholars clearly preferred Tuan stone; She stone was a close favorite. There was mutual copying between authors, and unfortunately, most works on inkstones are alike. Despite this, however, there are still worthwhile features to all these catalogues. The classic works on inkstones, beginning in the T'ang and sung Dynasties, are thus almost a thousand years old. It is truly regrettable that we can now enjoy only a few of the inkstones mentioned within their pages.

The early rulers of the Ch'ing Dynasty, the K'ang-hsi (1662-1722), Yung-cheng (1723-1735), and Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795) emperors, were learned scholars who concentrated their energies on calligraphy and art. This encouraged general interest in literature and painting, and as a result, the arts of the brush flourished. Together with the other three writing tools, the quality and production of inkstones received much attention, causing the stone for inkstones, and in particular the production of Tuan stone and refined clay, to undergo increasing development.

Inkstone catalogues also flourished, for instance, the Yen-shi (Inkstone history) written by Kao Feng-han in the mid-17th century; the Yueh Wei T'ao-t'ang Yen-p'u (Humble cottage review of inkstone registers) written by Chi Yun; and the Wen-fan Szu-k'ao T'u-shuo (Studio descriptive analysis of diagrams) by T'ang Ping-ch. The language and illustrations of these works are exuberant; the narratives are detailed and complete.        Nonetheless all the private cataloging efforts were inferior to those of the court, and the Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u is the greatest catalogue of inkstones. Its diagrams and explanations are of the highest level. This museum's collection of inkstones currently includes more than three hundred pieces. We have ninety-five of the pieces listed in the Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u, seventy-six from the main list of the catalogue and nineteen from the appendix.

       The original reason for compiling the Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u is given by the Ch'ien-lung emperor in the book's preface. He wrote, "The inkstones held by the court are rather numerous. Some have been handed down from previous dynasties; some date from the beginning of the nation, such as the Chin inkstone inscribed "Y-lan t'ang" and the pi-shaped inkstone. Both have been displayed for a long time at the East and West Pavilions of the Ch'ien-ch'ing Palace. It concerns me that the inkstones are so numerous, and the pavilions so large. There should be a summary of all the pieces, lest we make the mistake of losing this traditional art. That would be regrettable." Whereupon during the forty-third year of his reign (1778) the emperor commanded scholars to begin work on the catalogue. The men chosen to compile the volume included Y  Min-chung, Liang Kuo-chih, Wang Chieh, Tung Kao, Ch'ien Ju-ch'eng, Ts'ao Wen-chih, Chin Shih-sung and Chen Hsiao-yung. Furthermore the emperor selected Men Ying-chao to be in charge of the illustrations, and named the book Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u.

       Why was the volume named the "Hsi-ch'ing" catalogue? "Hsi-ch'ing" comes from a second-century B.C. poem, in which the phrase refers to a pleasant and peaceful area in the palace. The Nan Shu-fang, the Southern Library of the Imperial City, was thus also called Hsi-ch'ing. This was the location where compilation projects were carried out by members of Han-lin Academy during the Ch'ien-lung reign.

       The compilers of the Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u chose from among the court collection of inkstones the essential two hundred, and added explanations and illustrations. After the scholars completed the catalogue, Men Ying-chao drew the accompanying illustrations. The sketches were made using Western techniques and perspective, and each one is exact and realistic.

       The Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u is divided into twenty-four chapters, according to materials and periods of the inkstones. Chapters One through Six describe earthenware; Chapters Seven through Twenty-one describe stone; Chapters Twenty-two through Twenty-four are an appendix. The earthenware chapters are further divided into discussions of roof tile, brick, and refined clay. The stone chapters are divided into sections describing Tuan stone, She stone, T'ao-ho stone, and Huo stone. Chapters Twenty-two to Twenty-four, the appendix, describe types of inkstones not listed in other sections. Although other scholars included jade and porcelain pieces in inkstone catalogues, perhaps the compilers of the Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u felt that the materials were neither traditional, nor fit for use with brush and ink. Red-veined stone pieces, also in the records of all scholars, were still considered rather unusual, so they were listed in the appendix as well.

Of the Hsi-ch'ing Yen-p'u pieces here in our museum, we have a total of six inkstones made from the Han Dynasty roof-tiles of the T'ung-ch' h Tower; two brick inkstones; eighteen refined clay inkstones; thirty-eight Tuan stone inkstones; three She stone inkstones; three Huo-ts'un stone inkstones; five Sung-hua stone inkstones; two red-veined stone inkstones. As for others, like Ko-ware porcelain, Hua agate, and black jade, we only have one of each. In addition, there are three unidentifiable pieces. In total, our collection consists of ninety-five pieces. This exhibit contains fifty inkstones, in order to provide reference of each type for the study of experts, scholars, and visitors.