The origin of ink belongs to an era following the invention of writing. When the development of that art had advanced beyond the age of stone inscription or clay tablet, some material for marking with the reed and the brush was necessary.
The ink used by the ancient appears to have been what is termed in art a ‘body color’ or more solid medium than is at present used.
According to Pliny, the black taken from burnt ivory, and soot from furnaces and baths formed the basis of the ink used by old writers.
The Arabian methods of making ink were complex. Lampblack was first made by the burning of oil, tar or rosin, which was then commingled with gum and honey and pressed into small wafers or cakes, to which water could be added when wanted for use.
The story of printing ink began with the invention of the printing process. The earliest evidence of printing came from the Far East, centuries after the development of writing.
For ink-wash painting, it was first introduced in the Tang Dynasty, when Zhang Zao and some other painters began to paint in watered ink instead of other bright pigment color.
Brush and ink have long been regarded as the cardinal element on Chinese painting and in combination the two terms are used to mean the basic techniques in traditional Chinese painting.
History of Ink
