Scholars' Pagoda Ink Stick

Along with the inkstone, brush, and paper, the inkstick was essential to a scholar’s practice of calligraphy and brush painting. Made of soot and animal glue that was pressed into a mold to harden, these solid inks were sometimes infused with incense or essences of clove, sandalwood or other fragrant oils. To reconstitute the ink, the scholar would grind the inkstick against an inkstone with a small quantity of water to produce liquid ink. Qing Dynasty scholars surrounded themselves by beauty and inspiration; even the most humble of their tools was no exception. A scholar pondering the outlook from a pagoda is framed by the abstract cloud form of the inkstick. Each time the scholar put the stick to use he would contemplate the finely wrought image.