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Using Varnish Within Decoupage Artwork

1. A regular paint roller is the appropriate alternative to brayer. They are available in a variety of 'naps'. You can use either foam rollers or the more common cloth rollers. You should use a very t...

Finding Out More About Antique Thimbles And China Porcelain

European, especially British, porcelain, pottery and china are by and large very well marked as to who made them. The registration mark is another identification tool available to help you decipher wh...

Celebrating Life And Love... Give The Gift Of A Floor Clock

The real essence of life is all about celebrations. People celebrate births and deaths. Families get together for the fourth of July, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving, and every other holiday u...

Antique Japan Abacus - Soroban Wooden Calculating Tool

Description Old wooden Japanese abacus or soroban. This abacus was designed especially for merchants as many of the bead rows are identified with carved digit markers, while normal Japanese abacus have digit markers only every 3 or 4 rows. The upper part of the abacus is made of oak while the bottom part is made of boxwood. The beads are also made of wood and the bead shafts are lengths of carefully shaved bamboo. This particular soroban was probably manufactured between 1850 and 1930. This date range can be inferred due to the number of beads it contains. Soroban manufactured in Japan before 1850 included a 2/5 bead combination (2 beads on the upper deck and 5 beads on the lower deck). The Japanese formally changed to a 1/5 style in 1850 and then finally a 1/4 style in 1930 when all of the Japanese school text books were revised. This soroban has the 1/5 bead style. Due to it's apparent age, this soroban was likely made exclusively with traditional Japanese hand tools instead of modern power tools. Tools such as the nokogiri (Japanese pull saw) and kana (block plane) may have been used to carefully cut and shape each wooden part and to create the delicate and expert joinery which have held the abacus together all these years. The abacus is in good condition though it does have marks and scratches and is worn from past use and has some dust accumulated on the bottom beneath the beads. Many modern Japanese still learn to use a soroban in school and some even prefer these ancient tools over modern electronic calculators. My Japanese mother-in-law (last photo below) for instance uses her soroban when performing daily accounting work for the family business as well as in the preparation of her annual tax return! However, when I showed her an old soroban like the one offered here she was unable to use it as her training had never included such an old fashioned bead count. The soroban offered here is ready (with a little cleaning) to once again assist with mathematical calculations (that is if anyone can figure out how to use it), or perhaps to serve as a decorative accent in the home or office of someone who appreciates high quality, hand made Japanese woodcraft. Size: Length: 13.7 inches (35.0 centimeters) Width: 3.1 inches (8.0 centimeters) Weight: 7.4 ounces(211 grams) What exactly is an abacus? How did people keep track of numbers before pen and paper were widely available? How does addition and subtraction work if you don't have a handy written form for your numbers? Say you can't read or write, but you can count - how do you add, subtract, multiply, or divide large numbers? The answer to all these questions is . . . the abacus! What is an abacus? An abacus is a device used for addition and subtraction, and the related operations of multiplication and division. It does not require the use of pen and paper, and it's good for any base number system. There are two basic forms for the abacus: a specially marked flat surface used with counters (counting table), or a frame with beads strung on wires (bead frame). The bead frame form is what most people think of when they hear the word, "abacus". There are 3 main forms of abacus in use today; the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Russian. All are composed of a rectangular frame with beads on vertical wires or bamboo dowel. The number of wires and beads vary, and there may or may not be a horizontal divider in the frame. It cannot be proven, but the Chinese are often credited with the invention of the abacus. The abacus was a great invention in ancient China and has been called by some Western writers "the earliest calculating machine in the world." The Chinese abacus was brought into Japan around the 17th century. It was studied by the Japanese mathematician Seki Kowa (1640 - 1708) and many refinements were made to the Chinese abacus, including removing one bead on each wire above and below the horizontal dividing bar. The transformation of the Chinese abacus into the modern Japanese form was completed during the early part of the 20th century. This modern form has 4 beads below the horizontal divider, and only one bead on each wire above. It also usually has 21 columns. item code: R1S7-0005597 ship code: G6

Chinese civilization for five Thousand Years8-7Later Tang

An inkstone (traditional Chinese: 硯臺; simplified Chinese: 砚台; pinyin: yàn tái; Japanese: 硯 suzuri) is literally a stone mortar for the grinding and containment of ink. Traditional Chinese ink was usually solidified into sticks for easier transport and preservation. Even a small amount of water could be applied to the end of a stick of ink, and that end would be ground with the flat surface of the ink stone. A larger quantity of ink could be ground from a small pool of water placed on the inkstone. Water could be stored in a water-holding cavity on the inkstone itself, as was the case for many Song Dynasty (960-1279) inkstones. The water-holding cavity or water reservoir in time became an ink reservoir for later inkstones. Water was usually kept in a ceramic container and sprinkled on the inkstone.The inkstone, together with the ink brush, ink (stick) and paper, are the four writing implements traditionally known as the Four Treasures of the Study.HistoryThe inkstone is Chinese in origin and is used in East Asian calligraphy and painting, and other forms of brush painting. Extant inkstones date from antiquity in China. However the true age of inkstones began in the Tang Dynasty (618-905) and reached its height in the Song period. Extant Song period inkstones can be of great size and often display a delicacy of carving. Song inkstones can also exhibit a roughness in their finishing. Dragon designs in the Song period often reveal an almost humorous rendition. The dragons often seem to smile. From the subsequent Yuan period dragons display a ferocious appearance. A second great age of inkstone manufacture was during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong (Ch'ien-lung) (1736-1796). The Emperor Qianlong had his own imperial collection of inkstones catalogued into a twenty-four chapter compendium entitled Xiqing yanpu (Hsi-ch'ing yen-p'u). Many of these inkstones are still extant in the Palace Museum collection in Taiwan. Books and scholarship on Chinese inkstones exists chiefly in Japan where a long bibliography on the subject exists. Inkstones should be appreciated in the context of the traditional scholar's studio culture and the appreciation of furnishings, antiques, paper, seals and all other associated objects. Members of the Chinese literati, such as the Song period's Ouyang Xiu, contributed greatly to this new culture.Four Famous VarietiesFor serious calligraphers and painters, a good inkstone is as important as the quality of the ink. An inkstone will affect the quality and texture of the ink that is ground upon it. Four kinds of inkstones are especially noted in inkstone art history and are popularly known as the "Four Famous Inkstones."The first is Duanshi stone (Japanese: Tankei) (端石砚) from Duanxi, Guangdong (pictured at top). Duan stone is a volcanic tuff, commonly of a purple to a purple-red color. There are various distinctive markings such as eyes that were traditionally valued in the stone. A green variety of the stone was mined in the Song period. Duan inkstones are carefully categorized by the mines (k'eng) from which the raw stone was excavated. Particular mines were open only for discrete periods in history. For example, the Ma-tz'u k'eng mine was originally opened in the Qianlong period (1736-1795),　although reopened in modern times.She stone (Japanese: Kyū) (歙砚) from She County, Anhui. This stone is a variety of slate and like Duan stone is categorized by the various mines from which the stone was obtained historically. It is a black color and displays a variety of celebrated gold-like markings. These inkstones likewise date from the late Tang period.Of great rarity is Tao River stone (洮河砚) from South Gansu. This stone is no longer found today and was gathered from a river bottom in the Song period. The stone is crystalline and like jade. The stone bears distinct markings such as bands of varying shades. This stone can be easily confused with Duan stone of the green variety, but can be distinguished by a careful observation of its crystalline nature.Chengni ceramic stone (澄泥砚) is a ceramic-manufactured inkstone. This process was begun in the Tang period and is said to have originated in Luoyang, Henan.---------------------------------------- ---------XI,Tang Dynasty唐朝(618-907)XII,Five Dynasties五代1,Later Liang后梁(907-923)2,Later Tang后唐(923-936)3,Later Jin后晋(936-946)4,Later Han后汉(947-950)5,Later Zhou后周(951-960)

CCTV-9: Exhibition highlights China´s Cultural Heritage Day

Exhibition highlights China´s Cultural Heritage Day WATCH VIDEOSource: CCTV.com 06-14-2008 12:45 http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureex... http://www.cctv.com/video/cultureexpr... Saturday is Cultural Heritage Day in China. This is the third year for the annual observance. A series of exhibitions is open in Beijing to mark the occasion. The most eye catching show is the Exhibition of Chinese Cultural Relics Recovered From Abroad. It features nearly 200 antiques. Some of these relics were returned to China as a result of intergovernmental negotiations. Others were donated by Chinese working or living abroad. The oldest is a series of ceramic sculptures that dates back to the Han Dynasty some two thousand years ago. The show comes with a special section. There are hundreds of photographs, in a special area dedicated to the the recovery and restoration of relics caught in the May 12th earthquake. Shan Jixiang, director of Nat'l Cultural Heritage Admin., said, It's our duty to give the public an understanding of the damage sustained by cultural relics in the earthquake. Over the past weeks, great efforts have been made to recover and restore the cultural heritage in the earthquake zone. We want to make the public aware of the efforts. By this weekend, nearly all major exhibition venues in Beijing will have shows dedicated to Cultural Heritage Day. Instituted in 2006, the observance falls on the second Saturday of June.

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