Transcription: Special Exhibition of Ancient Ink Stones illustrated in the imperial catalog Siching Yanpu. Siching is the name of a Qing palace building where dictionaries and encyclopedias were compiled. Upon the order of the Qianlong Emperor, the palace collection of inkstones was sorted out and 200 of the finest pieces were selected for an illustrated catalog, the Siching Yanpu or Siching Inkstone Catalog. catalog. Inkstones were already being produced in China as long ago as the Neolithic age. During the Middle Tang period, the literati started emphasizing the quality of the stone and improved inkstone p ...
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