Inkstick depicting the Eight Steeds

Chinese ink is a paste made from pine soot (lampblack), glue, and incense that, when pressed into molds and dried, forms solid cakes or sticks like this one. In this form, it can be stored indefinitely. Liquid ink was prepared by grinding the inkstick on a moistened stone slab while mixing it with water until achieving the desired blackness. By grinding their own ink, scholars could control its texture, quality, and translucency. The oldest surviving inkstick comes from a 3rd-century bce tomb in Hupei Province in east-central China. In the 17th and 18th centuries, commemorative inksticks were made for special occasions, given as gifts, and collected by connoisseurs. This stick bears an 18th-century date and images of the Eight Steeds of King Mu Wang, who ruled China during the 10th century BCE.