The document summarizes the analysis of a Chinese inkstone artifact conducted by the author. Upon receiving the artifact, the author initially thought it was a box or chalkboard due to its rectangular stone shape and scratch marks inside. After analyzing design elements like engraved wheat and a small symbol, the author deduced it was from Asia, possibly 18th-19th century. The artifact was actually a Chinese inkstone used for calligraphy, which is still a valued art form. Inkstones produced long-lasting ink useful for preserving artifacts and histories in a way writing alone cannot, since it depends on artifact survival. Experiencing artifacts firsthand provided more historical insight than online research alone.

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Anissa Boyers
Dr. Esguerra
History 115
23 September 2019
Grasping the Past: The Artistic Analysis of Chinese Inkstone
In most circumstances, history is analyzed through making sense of text. Text can be
helpful when referring to a timeline of events; however, this cannot account for the narrative that
all cultures have to share. The article A History of the World in 100 Objects acknowledges that
cultures with written history are more privileged than those that do not (MacGregor xvi). This is
because countries/cultures that are illiterate do not have the ability to record their history, but
more so show their history through the preservation of artifacts. I had the opportunity to
participate in the analysis of historical artifacts at Bridgewater College. This exercise has given
me a new insight on the process of understanding history.
When I first received my artifact, I was unsure of its purpose. The small object was
rectangular with a length of approximately eight inches and a width of six inches. I believed that
it was a box because there were two pieces that fit together; however, the shallow depth of the
pieces indicated that the box could not hold items. My second assumption was that the object
was used as a chalkboard because the inside of the box also contained scratch-like marks. The
pieces of the object were black and appeared to be made out of stone. Inside of the box, the
bottom was sloped slanted and contained a small indent. This would have been large enough to
hold a small piece of chalk. The front of the box appeared to be engraved with a design and filled
in with white paint. The design looked like wheat or grass with a grasshopper included. A small
symbol was placed in the corner, which led me to suspect that the object was from Asia. I also

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made the inference that the object was from the 18th or 19th century due to it not being functional
in the era of technology. After analyzing my artifact, I was informed that it was Chinese
inkstone.
China is the birthplace of many inventions that we take for granted today. This includes
the inkstone, one of the earliest means of communication in the Chinese culture. What makes the
Chinese language different from others is the detailed symbols. The characters in the Chinese
language serve a dual purpose as communication and also art. Chinese inkstone is a tool used for
the calligraphy of Chinese symbols in artistic and purposeful writing. The practice of calligraphy
is still valued today, that it is often referred to as one of “the four precious things of the library”
(Chinese Ink and Inkstone). The ink that comes from the stone is able to withstand the erosion
that typical inks endure. This is due to the ingredients used to make the ink. When inkstone was
being invented, the Chinese had access high quality resources such as lampblack glue and pines.
As the ink is able to last a long amount of time, some artifacts from other cultures are not as
advantageous. Neil McGregor, the author of A History of the World in 100 Objects states, “A
history through objects, however, can never itself be fully balanced because it depends entirely
on what happens to survive” (xix). Many cultures do not have access to the key ingredients that
allow their artifacts to preserve. This results in the erosion of their artifacts and sometimes even
their culture. This causes some cultures to become overlooked. The Inkstone along with many
other artifacts at Bridgewater College was collected by Brian and Nora Flory.
The inkstone that I analyzed at Bridgewater College helped me to understand the
importance of artifacts in history. Although reading text can be helpful, objects serve as evidence
of the past. Viewing the artifacts in person allowed me to understand the purpose more versus

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reading about them online. This proves that objects can be just as useful in learning about history
than reading.

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Works Cited
“Chinese Ink and Inkstone.” China.org.cn, 21 May 2008,
Beijing.english.china.org.cn/2008-05/21/content_15373844.htm
MacGregor, Neil. A History of the World in 100 Objects: Allen Lane, 2010.