From:Zhengzhou

Class: Antiques

Introduce:

Luoyang Chengni (deposited silt) Ink-stone, specially processed with silt having been deposited for thousands of years in the Yellow River as raw material, is one of the four top ink-stones of China. Hard yet delicate, wearable and jade-like, Chengni Ink-stone is amazing, smooth as the skin of babies, mild even in cold winters, capable of holding water that would not easily dry up. Produced near the bank of the Yellow River in western Henan, Chengni Ink-stones were tribute to emperors in the Tang (618-907 AD) and Song dynasties (960-1279 AD). Beloved by literati of all dynasties, it was much favored by Su Dongpo, one of the most eminent scholars of China; Mi Fu, one of the greatest calligraphers and painters and Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644AD), as shown by their essays.   On trying it, the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911AD) commended much on the Chengni Ink-tone made of silt of thousands of years and thought it was even superior to Duan Ink-stone (another famous ink stone in China) as far as some unique qualities in ink-writing are concerned.

Coming from the Yellow River silt of superior quality deposited in a unique geological environment, the Chengni Ink-stone made today, specially processed by the present producer with a technique of traditional craft and ingredients including rare herbal medicines, are ink-friendly and beautiful like jades with their refined patterns and special quality of not drying up in summer or freezing up in winter. What’s more, paintings or calligraphies made with ink out of these stones are naturally mothproof. It is such a pleasant thing to have a Chengni Ink-stone on the desk, either for appreciation or collection.

Producer: The Yellow River Jinshani Art Research Institute of Zhengzhou