Box of Ink Cakes
ca. 1920 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In ancient China each time a scholar performed a writing task he would produce ink by grinding an ink cake, adding a small amount of water until the ink reached the desired density. Although Chinese people were aware of western style fountain pens, in the 1920s the brush and ink cake were still widely used.
Each ink stick tells the story of a hard-working student. They were brought back to England as 'curios items' and presented to Queen Mary.
Each ink stick tells the story of a hard-working student. They were brought back to England as 'curios items' and presented to Queen Mary.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 10 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Ink |
| Brief description | Lacquer box containing eight ink cakes, workshop of Hu Tongwen, China, Republican period, ca. 1920 |
| Physical description | Each black oblong ink cake (parts B to I) is embossed with an image, which tells the story of a hard-working student, and two Chinese characters in gold. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Gift of H.M. Queen Mary |
| Summary | In ancient China each time a scholar performed a writing task he would produce ink by grinding an ink cake, adding a small amount of water until the ink reached the desired density. Although Chinese people were aware of western style fountain pens, in the 1920s the brush and ink cake were still widely used. Each ink stick tells the story of a hard-working student. They were brought back to England as 'curios items' and presented to Queen Mary. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.64-1925 |
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| Record created | April 18, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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