Please could I call on the expertise of Gwulo readers to interpret the characters inscribed on this nib holder. I believe one of the characters may mean "scholarship". I don't know the date of manufacture, but suspect it belongs to the first half of the twentieth century. It has come to me via Warren cousins and may have originally belonged to my grandfather, Charles Warren, as I have an inkwell of his. I well recall the horrors of trying to write with scratchy dip pens and the spatters and blots they caused.
Jill
Date picture taken
1 Jul 2017
Comments
Re Chinese Characters
Hi there,
I read four words: 文筆生花, usually a praised for someone good at composing good literatures\caligraphy pieces. Lickly have multiple meanings.
Likely a gift of sort.
Thanks & Best Regards,
T
Interpretation of Chinese characters
As always, thank you T, for this helpful reading of the inscription. I wondered if had been a St Joseph's school prize, but I think it is too good for that. My uncle Leslie and my father both had illegible writing (in English). My uncle Arthur Warren (1906-1930) was an artist in the Chinese style and the most likely recipient of an award for calligraphy. I'm happy to receive all possible meanings of the individual characters.
Jill
Re: Nib holder
Hi there,
I wonder if it was crafted or casted.
T
Moulded Chinese characters
The ornamental casing is from a matrix mould, so there should have been quite a few identical nib holders in circulation.