The Muwen Tang Collection Series Vol. 4
Bilingual in English and Chinese, 302 pages, over 100 illustrations, hardcover, cloth. Hong Kong, 2005.
ISBN: 988-97206-5-5

by Simon Kwan

Vol. 4 in the Muwen Tang Collection Series. Over 110 pieces are included, mostly of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. Inkstones were highly regarded by Chinese scholars, including the Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo, as the “best-friend” of the scholar. Subtle designs of Chinese inkstones reflect the changing taste and aesthetic inclination of the educated Chinese over the centuries. The subject is well documented by Chinese scholars in the past 1000 years, but relatively unknown in the West. This is the first and the most comprehensive book on the subject to be published in the English language.