My New Collection: Chinese Calligraphy Brushes

May 31, 20152 min read

A few months ago, I discovered the beauty of Chinese Calligraphy brushes. Prior to that, I had no idea what they were and what they are used for. Now I am hooked on them.

Here you can view Wikipedia’s definition of Chinese calligraphy

I don’t use the brushes for the intended purpose; I simply love them and enjoy displaying them.

I love the beautiful details of the handles; which are typically made from jade, bamboo, red sandalwood, glass, silver, gold and porcelain. The head of the brush can be made from the hair (or feathers) of a wide variety of animals, including the weasel, rabbit, deer, chicken, duck, goat etc.

There is also a tradition in both China and Japan of making a brush using the hair of a newborn, as a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir for the child.

The handles come in various colors and designs. My favorite is the blue and white porcelain shown in the picture above inside of the tray on my foyer table.

I bought my first few on Etsy (the smaller ones below), and then a few more during my recent trip to High Point Market

I am so drawn to them and will likely continue to buy more over time.

They work perfectly in small vignettes in groupings. They are sure to be great conversation pieces

Here is a display at a booth at High Point Market

Notice the beautiful texture on some of these handles?

This particular vendor at High Point dubbed his collection “Calligraphy Brush Heaven”, and I totally agree! I was like a kid in a candy store here – and it was only a part of their large collection!