Presentation Ink blocks

[Baka Gaijin]

Good morning all,

 

I've just obtained this beautiful set of presentation ink blocks.

 

I think they are originally Chinese, late 19th/early 20th Century, although they came from a collector of Imari and Kutani wares.

 

Now I'm trying to work out what the calligraphy refers to, Analects of Confucius is one thought, poems of seasons or years is another........Help please.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

Malcolm

[Henry Wilson]

Just an observation but if you were to print with them would the characters not be the wrong way round and a mirror needed to read them with ease?

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi Henry,

 

They are not printing blocks, but blocks of Pine needle soot ink used in calligraphy and painting.

 

I may have mislead you by referring to them as ink blocks, let me relabel them as Ink Sticks and amend the topic posting accordingly.

 

http://www.theartofcalligraphy.com/ink-stick.html

 

I'm reasonably sure sticks of this quality were given as high status gifts, and rarely if ever used.

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

[Nobody]

Is there someone who can read Chinese?

http://big5.ce.cn/gate/big5/cathay.ce.c ... 8863.shtml

 

The ink sticks seem to be called 五老圖墨, which means ink sticks with pictures of five sages (i.e. 山陰杜岐公, 太原王漁, 始平馮平, 沛國朱貫, and 雲中畢世長). They were intellectual in the Northern Song era (北宋: 960-1127). I assume that there are pictuers of them on the back of the sticks. The calligraphy may be their poems respectively.

[kusunokimasahige]

Nope you havent, an ink-block is just wat it says, a block of ink......

 

Otherwise it would be referred to as printing block !!!!

 

 

beautiful items!

 

KM

[Baka Gaijin]

Thank you for your able knowledge as always Moriyama san.

 

The backs of the blocks/sticks are plain apart from two or three kanji.

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm