Shanghai Calligraphy and Painting Brush and Ink Museum

　　The Shanghai Calligraphy and Painting Brush and Ink Museum is a professional thematic museum dedicated to the display, collection, and research of Chinese brushes, ink sticks, and the Four Treasures of the Study. It follows the historical development and legacy of the renowned Shanghai time-honored brands “Zhou Huchen” and “Cao Sugong” as its main thread, exploring the evolution of the Four Treasures of the Study in Shanghai and across China, and showcasing the traditional craftsmanship and culture of these items. The museum employs modern exhibition techniques, integrating multimedia, video, and audio equipment with the display of collections to expand the exhibition space. In the exhibition area featuring ink molds and ink sticks from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Republic of China period, and the post-establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the reporter observed that many of the ink paintings and calligraphy works were created by famous artists and literati, such as Emperor Kangxi’s “Pictures of Tilling and Weaving,” Qian Huian’s “Lifting Beam Ink,” Ren Bonian’s “Twelve Guests of Famous Flowers,” Wang Yiting’s “Fine Gold and Beautiful Jade,” Wu Changshuo’s “Cold Fragrance,” and Guo Moruo’s “Dazzling and Variegated.”

　　The ink itself also comes in a myriad of forms, with the most eye-catching being a set of “Imperial Garden Round Ink Sticks.” The designs are based on scenes from the Summer Palace, and the materials used are high-grade mineral pigments, including purely natural cinnabar, malachite green, azurite blue, and realgar. Each ink stick has particularly pure colors, completely free from any chemical additives, making them especially precious—two sets of these inks are worth over a million yuan. The museum also displays brushes used by modern Shanghai-based masters of the Haipai painting and calligraphy school, such as Wu Changshuo, Zhao Zhiqian, Shen Yinmo, Zhang Daqian, Wu Hufan, and Pan Tianshou.

　　Each artist’s brush has its own name. For example, Li Keran’s two wolf-hair brushes are respectively called “Shiniutang” and “Luomu Caotang.” Among the many famous brushes, the most noteworthy is Lu Xun’s “Gold Not Exchanged.” According to the introduction, this is the only brush Lu Xun ever bought but never got around to using. Additionally, there are two brushes that are particularly striking, with bristles as long as 10 centimeters, truly the kings of brushes. These were made by Li Keran over 70 years by carefully selecting from thousands of high-quality weasel tail hairs.

　　The exhibition showcases everything from the raw materials, processes, and tools used in making ink sticks. Ink-making involves mixing soot with animal glue, repeatedly pounding it into a base material, then pressing it into shape using ink molds, followed by steps such as drying, flipping, and gold outlining. Historical records indicate that the traditional process of making ink involved over ten steps: soaking oil, soot bowls, firing soot, sifting soot, dissolving glue, adding medicinal ingredients, collecting soot, steaming the mixture, pounding, weighing, hammering, rolling into balls, kneading, shaping, putting in ash, taking out of ash, and stamping. Cao Sugong mastered the ancient methods of ink-making and summarized them into six key processes: refining soot, steaming glue, mixing ingredients, making ink, flipping and drying, and carving ink molds.

　　One aspect that must be mentioned is the ink mold. Also known as an ink die or ink stamp, the ink mold is the crafting tool used in ink production. Ink mold carving is not only a crucial step in making ink but also an art form in itself. In the past, Cao Sugong spared no expense in hiring master carvers and painters to create ink molds. By the late Qing and early Republican period, Cao Sugong’s eleventh-generation descendant, Cao Linbo, was good friends with the late Qing painter Ren Bonian, who lived in the ink shop for half a year. Ren Bonian, known for his figure paintings, also created reduced versions for ink mold surfaces. One of his representative works, the “Ruoye Charm” painting and calligraphy ink, was painted by Ren Bonian and carved into a mold by Cao Linbo.

　　In the final years of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign, Cao Linbo hired the renowned ink mold carver Wang Suizhi at great expense. Wang was not only skilled in carving but also adept at painting. He produced over eighty sets of works, with surviving masterpieces including “Stream” and “Cold Fragrance,” which he carved based on the works of Haipai painter Wu Changshuo. The carved calligraphy in Wu Changshuo’s running script was so lifelike it looked as if personally written. During this period, the design of ink stick shapes began to draw attention from ink makers, marking a shift that moved ink beyond mere utility and highlighted its artistic value. Tools used in ink-making include ink-flattening boards and knives for drying, as well as cowhide glue, ceramic dishes, pigments, and palm fiber brushes for gold outlining. Though not particularly valuable, these tools are quite unique and worth seeing.