THE MISSING INK STONE

A dream involving pale yellow ochre, a crimson blood hue, and various intense refractions of cerulean and lapis lazuli, as well as the emperor Hui Tsung's calligraphy. I was glad I woke up before the burglar alarm went off, and I realized that I haven't used my stone for grinding ink sticks in many years. I think that it's underneath one of my book cases. Probably the one which has the seals and unused seal stones. The seal carving blades are in a narrow box to my right on the short table underneath the computer table in the teevee room, where presently I am. I use them often, but I haven't made a seal in a long time.
They're good for various things.

The red seal ink is next to small the wooden owls.
I do not know where the black ink is.

The emperor Hui Tsung (宋徽宗 ('sung fai jung') was a brilliant painter and calligrapher, talented poet, and an ill-advised and failed leader during whose reign the Jurchen gained the ascendency that caused the dynasty's downfall. The last nine years of his life were in captivity. He lived a total of fity two years (7 June 1082 CE– 4 June 1135 CE).

His bird and flower paintings are justly famous.

北宋： 960–1127。 南宋： 1127–1279。

To the great credit of the Song Dynasty (宋朝 'sung chiu') they relied greatly on talented and educated people in administration rather than personal favourites and flatterers. Many fields flourished during their rule, and China for many years was indeed a centre of the universe.

This picture of a robin is NOT one of emperor Hui Tsung's paintings. He would probably have found it rather amusing and advised me to keep working at my illustrations, practice more, find my ink stone again, and then perhaps eventually, young man ...

And let us meanwhile not discuss my calligraphy.
It does not count in any way.



The dream also involved comfortable woolen socks. When sleep-burgling an antique store, these are probably essential. Especially while cooling your heels in a police cell afterwards.



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