Mi Fus treatise on ink-stęnes brings us very close to his true cþa-recter and as to why his paintings and calligraphs excelled those of most other artists and calligraphers of his period, He took nothing for granted but relied on his own investigations and it is quite evident from this characteristic that he developed his own technique in "his paintings and calligraphs as well as his style in prose and poetry. His poetry had feeling, but irm many instances is extremely difficult. In some respects some of his poems were similar to those of Ssu Shih BE (1036-1101) who lived about the same time.
Mi Fu's treatise on ink-stones is an extremely valuable guide for those interested in the collecting of ancient ink-stones, At the same time his description, along with Dr. Van Gulik's comment and notes, makes interesting reading.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.