With the appearance of a large number of inkstones such as Duan, Wei and Tao, many famous inkstone engravers such as Gu Erniang,, and modern Chen Duanyou have emerged, and the forms of inkstones have gradually changed from coffin type, dustpan type and intervention type to sun, moon, landscape, flowers and birds, figures and so on. The shape of Yan Tao is very unique, and its shapes mainly include: geometric shapes, that is, various geometric figures artificially made according to a certain size ratio, such as squares, circles, diamonds, etc. ; Random modeling is based on the shape of the original stone, which is basically maintained by carving; Natural shape is a natural shape endowed by nature, which retains the general shape of the original stone, and there is no knife around it.
The carving of Taohe inkstone is customized according to the shape, as the inkstone maker often says, "It should be shaped like a stone, decorated with the shape, and performed with the shape." When inkstone artists see the rough, jagged edges and different shapes of the original stone, the design concept will be the key to the success or failure of inkstone production, so there are seven thoughts and three sculptures. Whether a high-quality inkstone can produce a high-quality inkstone reflects the accomplishment and attainments of inkstone carving artists in calligraphy, painting, seal cutting, sculpture modeling and even literature and art.
The carving of Taohe inkstone mainly adopts general carving, high relief, shallow relief and line carving, and now it is mostly round carving. There are many kinds of patterns carved by Yan Tao. From the point of view of inkstone, Taohe inkstone has its unique shape, that is, most inkstones adopt the form of inkstone hall with cover (that is, double inkstones). Its purpose lies in that if the ink on the ground is not used for a while, it will not be thickened because of the evaporation of water, and it can also prevent the inkstone from falling when it is not used for a long time, which not only saves the ink, but also protects the inkstone hall. The production technology of inkstone cover is very exquisite, and the joints must be tight and seamless, and the top, bottom, left and right sides are not loose. An inkstone with a cover is more expensive to take the same stone, and the color and grain of the stone at the bottom and on the cover are the same, which is very rare. It is called the original stone, also called the mother stone.
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