Oriental treasures-Old Pit of Duanyan Inkstone

Duanxi Inkstone is the best in inkstone, and Laokengshi (water rock) is the best in inkstone. It can be said that it combines the advantages of Duanxi's famous pit inkstone. Water and rock are delicate, delicate, compact and solid, with purple and blue stones and rich and colorful stone patterns. The ancients praised the day as "fine as jade", "soft and tender but not slippery", "silent buckle", "no loss of water, no loss of ink, no loss of hair", "long-term use of the edge does not fade", which is indeed the most precious treasure in inkstone.

Laokeng is located at the foot of the South Bank of Qiukeshan Mountain in Xijiang Antelope Gorge, about 200 meters away from the Xijiang River. It is said that the mid-Tang Dynasty has opened pits to extract stones, initially known as Xia Yan, because its veins extend underground to the Xijiang River level next to the Antelope Gorge, long-term water immersion is called Shui Yan, Song Dynasty as a tribute, by the Royal eunuch mining, also known as Huang Yan. Inkstone stones have been taken intermittently for about 1300 years, with a long history, also known as the old pit.

There are main cave, East cave, small West cave, big west cave and water return cave. Daxi Cave has the best stone quality. The stone color is blue and purple in the blue-gray medium. The whole length of the cave (oblique distance) is 135.5 meters (from the cave entrance to the cave bottom), the height difference between the cave entrance and the cave bottom is 25.5 meters, and the distance between the cave bottom and the normal horizontal plane of Xijiang River is about 150 meters. At present, the highest part of the Daxi Cave is about 2.2 meters. People can stand, and the lowest part is about 1.2 meters. Quarriers usually sit on the floor and use hammers to drill and quarry. The stone color of Shuigui Cave is blue and purple in blue and grey. The whole length of the cave is 117 meters, and the height difference between the cave entrance and the cave bottom is about 20 meters. The distance between the bottom of the cave and the normal water surface of Xijiang River is about 130 meters, and the height difference between the bottom and the normal water surface is 27 meters. That is to say, both the Daxidong and the Shuiguidong are under the normal water level of the Xijiang River, which is the main reason for the year-round accumulation of water.

Composition, characteristics and pattern of Laokeng stone:

The lithology of Laokeng stone is argillaceous structure, compact and massive structure. Mineral composition mainly consists of mica (hydromica) clay, hematite, quartz, chlorite and carbonate, and trace mineral composition: tourmaline, rutile, pyrite, etc. Old pit stone strikes like the sound of wood, without the sound of clang (compared with Song pit is obviously different).

There is a saying that "end with its hard, sheep with its soft". The hardness of inkstone is 2.8-3.5, and that of inkstone is 2.2-2.4, which is slightly lower than that of inkstone. If the hardness of inkstone is too low and the particle size is too fine, the friction force is also small, the inkstone is slowed down and the inkstone is not good. On the contrary, too much hardness is not good. Inkstone hardness is about 3 grade of Mohr hardness, plus fine and dense edge, this standard inkstone grinding ink is neither slippery nor love, as a high-quality inkstone, which is the secret of the old pit can have a stable grinding feeling and good development under the grinding ink. Generally the best old pit inkstone ink grinding, 20-30 circles can be used, 50 circles can be used, 100 circles are in place, that is, suitable for creation. In winter, the glue will harden because of the low temperature, so many inkstones can not grind ink because of the loss of peak. The old pit is not seasonal, winter as good as hair. The excellent performance of the old pit and the steady grinding feeling are also the best way to distinguish some seemingly old pit-like Shapu stones. Once you start, you can see the truth at a glance. A good old pit is usually easy to clean. It can be washed by gently rubbing the inkstone hall with your hands. Lao Keng Inkstone is of good quality and elegant taste, purple-blue, soft, tender, delicate, compact and pure texture. The most famous stone in Laokeng Stone is the gold and silver thread. Gold thread is yellow and silver thread is white. Generally speaking, the old pit stone with gold and silver thread is often the most wet and delicate, and it is the top grade in the old pit.

The main patterns of the old pit are ice grain, gold thread, silver thread, blue and white flowers, rose purple, fire, azure, banana leaf white, fish brain freeze, ice grain freeze, azure freeze and precious stone eyes. The most common stones are ice grain, gold thread and silver thread, followed by fire. Fish brain freeze (including shredded freeze) and banana leaf white are rare and very rare. The predecessors had a penetrating exposition of stone patterns in Duanshi. For example, Zhu Zhuyuan in Qing Dynasty said, "Those who go down the rock (old pit) are light and fine in quality, nearly white in color, with blue and white flowers such as azalea, wipe with ink..."

The ancients once praised the old pit inkstone as having the characteristics of "light weight" and "rigid and soft quality". It is justified and reasonable to integrate the contradictions of "emphasis and lightness" and "rigidity and softness". The old pit inkstone is purple blue and slightly green from the surface, which makes people feel lighter than the original feeling. The so-called "rigid and soft" is from the perspective of carving process and ink grinding, the old pit inkstone is solid and flexible, which is what the ancients called "if children's skin, soft and tender but not slippery". If you gently press the inkstone Hall of the old pit inkstone with your hand, moisture will appear immediately. These characteristics are due to the fact that the mineral composition of the old pit inkstone is mainly cemented by mud, sericite and silica. At the same time, because of this reason, the mud of the old pit inkstone has a large proportion, so when it is struck, it emits the sound of "dung dung", that is, the so-called "silence of buckle", "silence of grinding ink", and the lack of clang sound. Because of the siliceous effect in the old pit inkstone, it has the advantage of "persistent use and persistent use". Lao Keng Inkstone has been immersed in groundwater for a long time. The clay minerals are dissolved by groundwater. It is the reason that the stone becomes pure and soft gradually. Therefore, it makes Lao Keng Inkstone so delicate and delicate that it can moisten to the effect of "breathing and grinding ink".