The useful inkstone drops are perfect for use with the inkstone and ink. They are rare and elegant utensils in the study rooms of ancient literati.
Who doesn’t like this toad-shaped inkstone?
Unfortunately, there are definitely not many inkstones handed down from the Han Dynasty, and there are more from the Northern Song Dynasty.
And compared with the inkstones of the Han Dynasty, the porcelain inkstones of the Northern Song Dynasty are more beautiful.
The first thing Chen Wenzhe saw was a Song Dynasty Longquan celadon toad inkstone.
The Longquan kiln toad drops from the Song Dynasty were all found at kiln sites in the early years.
One of them is 7 cm high, shaped like a three-legged toad, with round eyes and a wide mouth. Its head is decorated with a pair of tentacles, its back is slightly raised, and its back is decorated with large and small nipple patterns.
There is another piece with a slightly thicker nipple, and the remaining two pieces are as fine as pinpoint patterns.
These breast nail patterns are like warts on the back of a toad. There is a scroll band pattern in the middle of the back, and a round hole for water injection in the center.
The abdomen is light, the bottom is astringent and the pads are burning, and the three legs are in a natural supporting shape.
In addition, Jingzhen Kiln also saw a celadon eight-legged toad inkstone from Yue Kiln in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Therefore, products such as the Longquan kiln eight-legged toad drops must meet a more sophisticated demand.
Gold, silver, and tin are especially vulgar.
The other is made of copper, 4 inches low and 13.3 centimeters long.
The descendants of the Xihu clan, the Song Dynasty history list is listed on the Dezhao room of King Yan, before Taizu, and its beginning and end can be tested. A water hole is opened under the toad's back, and a large mouth is left in the toad's mouth for water discharge.
The diameter of the mouth of the vessel is smaller, and the overall size of the vessel is significantly smaller than inkstone products. It is a typical water bowl (Shui Cheng).
The golden toad is made of copper, with its head raised to the sky, as if it is worrying about why there are so many pimples on its back. Should it appear on the face?
The tray is 1.5 cm low, 10.8 cm in diameter, and 3.5 cm in bottom diameter.
If you really want to compare, the Southern Song Dynasty was still more prosperous than the Northern Song Dynasty, and the various kinds of artworks produced at this time were also fewer and more varied.
In Taoist stories, he is a demon who can spit out money. He once caused harm to the world. He attained Taoism and became an immortal before being subdued by his bangs.
It is 7.4 inches low and 10.3 centimeters long.
Two Jingzhen blue and white porcelain toad bowls, one large and one large, were unearthed from the Southern Song Dynasty cellar in Jinyu Village, Suining, Sichuan Province, and are now in the Song Porcelain Museum of Sichuan Province.
For example, two eight-legged toad drops were unearthed from the Song Dynasty cellar of Jiange. One is made of jade, 4.6 in height and 11 cm in length.
The bronze rhinos, Tianlu, and toads we see today carry large bowls in their mouths. Ancient people used them to store oil and light lamps. Nowadays, they mistakenly think of them as water-dropping ears, and they are suitable for making a few eucalyptus toys.
The piece I saw at the Jingzhen Kiln was a copper eight-legged toad drop. It was 4.8 centimeters low and 8.2 centimeters long.
Except for the specific differences in the image of the toad, its shape and size are similar to those of Longquan kiln toad drops, so it is more appropriate to call them inkstone drops.
The copper toad unearthed from the Jiange Cellar (Hanyang Township) also has a hole in its mouth and back.
The copper toad inkstone is 6.4 inches low and 12.8 centimeters long, while the one seen at Jingzhen Kiln is an eight-legged golden toad inkstone from the Song Dynasty.
There should be only seven or seven pieces from the Northern Song Dynasty, followed by works from the Southern Song Dynasty, and none of them are exquisite. It should be Chen Wenzhe's large-mouthed, toad-shaped, eight-legged porcelain water bowl from the Southern Song Dynasty.
Therefore, there is no saying among the people that "bangs play with golden toads, and you fish for money every step of the way."
Liu Kezhuang of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote a poem "Toad Inkstone Drops": It is shaped like crawling sand, and children compete to caress it. The back is like a thousand-year-old man, and the belly is round. The vessel is larger than the vase, but it is less than a few inkstones. It contains a trickle of water.
, the past life depends on the aftermath.
Compared with the double-hole inkstone dripping column, the single-hole inkstone dripping column has worse sealing performance and attracts dust, so it can keep the water clean.
The toad's eyes are in the shape of peach leaves, its two hind legs are naturally supported, and its single front leg is crouched as if about to leap.
That is not one of the seven items in "Water Drop Discrimination", and the seventh one is not "copper water drop". The eight-legged toad copper inkstone drop described below is one of the classics.
The other type has only one hole on the back, such as the Longquan kiln toad drop below.
In particular, this kind of stationery has only one water outlet, and the dragon-handled spoon is from before the Qing Dynasty.
The details of this toad's image are exquisitely created. It is the same as the image of the elephant, but the "mythic beast" charm of the toad is more distinct and intense.
Judging from the word "Zhu", it is likely that the chant is made of copper toad drops.
Although this piece is called a "water bowl", the diameter of the mouth is only 1.5 cm.
Based on their firing styles, the three toad drops should be products of the same period.
In addition to Longquan kiln, Yue kiln, Jingzhen kiln, etc. also have similar three-legged toad drop products.
One is to open two holes, with neither a water outlet nor a water outlet, as shown below.
Among the copper droplets from the Song Dynasty that have been unearthed and handed down from generation to generation, there are only one species, the toad droplet.
However, connoisseurs like Zhao Xihu believe that metal materials such as copper are suitable for use as inkstone drops.
Copper is strong in nature. If it is stored in water for a long time, it will not be poisonous. It will be less brittle and the pen will be less brittle. If it drips, there will be no holes to absorb dust. The water is clear, so copper utensils are used.
The whole body is full and the shape is vivid and lifelike.
The dripping column is a hollow thin tube, which can be regarded as a matching stationery item.
The eight-legged golden toad is an auspicious creature in myths and legends, and can attract wealth, control the house, and ward off evil spirits.
It is a porcelain water bowl with a small mouth and toad shape and eight legs with a green and white glaze from Chen Wenzhe of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is 11.2 meters low and 18 centimeters long.
The blue and white glazed large mouth toad drop unearthed from the Jinyu Village cellar and the copper toad drop unearthed from the bottom of the temple also have only one hole.
Jingzhen Kiln believes that toad drops with only one hole should be used in conjunction with drip posts.
That one is 6.2 inches low and 10.4 centimeters long;
Who is Zhao Xihu? There is no record in the summary of "Qi Ku Quanshu. Dong Tian Qing Lu".
Combined with the poetry and literature of the Song Dynasty, copper inkstone drops are also quite popular.
For example, in the Longquan Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty, there was no eight-legged pomegranate vase, which is similar to the eight-legged toad inkstone. It also has a dripping column and can also be regarded as an inkstone.
That is, you can press and hold the water outlet with your hand to cut off the water, and release the water outlet. You can freely control the flow of water from the water outlet by pressing or releasing it.
Yu Yan of the Song Dynasty wrote in "Xia Xia Fu Tan": ...It is like a drop of copper water. If you twist its orifice, the water will drip, and if you let it go, it will drip.
Such stationery supplies do not have the style of a literati or artist, nor do they lack original skills. They cannot even be said to be technologically advanced.
Apart from porcelain, there were no eight-legged toads made of other materials in the Song Dynasty.
The golden toad has an opening on its back, and water can also come out of its mouth, which is more common.
There is nothing similar to that one, but it is much smaller than that one.
These three pieces of toad drops not only have a high similarity in appearance, but also have similar glaze characteristics. They are all gray-white, with greenish-yellow glazes and a glassy texture.
This can also be regarded as physical evidence of the popularity of toad drops in the Song Dynasty.
Take a lotus leaf as a tray, and the eight-legged toad stands under the lotus leaf with its head held high.
In comparison, porcelain is more suitable for storing water.
For example, the Northern Song Dynasty Yue kiln celadon toad inkstone collected by the Cixi cultural relics department in 1983 is now in the Cixi Museum;
This vessel has exquisite craftsmanship, green glaze, unique shape and full of interest. It can be called a classic masterpiece among the toads of the Song Dynasty.
Use your finger to press the large hole at the top of the drip column to suck out the stored water, and release your finger to drip it into the inkstone.
The following examples of toad drops (including water bowls) can actually be divided into two categories in terms of use.
A copper toad inkstone from the Song Dynasty, collected by the Palace Museum, is equipped with a copper pipe.