Material and ink are not only the relationship between form and image, but also the two elements in the identification of calligraphy and painting, which is often said by experts in the identification of antiques. The material is "dead" and the ink is "alive". The former is easy to say, while the latter is difficult to understand. The reason is very simple. As long as there is enough time and scientific analysis for "dead" things, the average person can accept them. However, it is not ruled out that there are also people who do not understand. For "living" things, it is not time to dissect the secret. Pen and ink need people to use passion to understand and brain to understand. Of course, it is impossible to do this without a lot of information and profound knowledge. Everyone's level of knowledge and understanding is different, so is their ability to accept.

材料指的是書畫家創作以外的東西。具體分紙（絹）質，墨色，顏料，印泥四部分。表面上看，這四點沒有多大學說。 其實不然，特別是在鑒定遠古書畫作品時，材料的區分可以直接對某些膺品作出科學的論斷，無須深入。 比如一幅明代的書畫，如果發現作品的材料不到年紀，或者是新的，  就根本不用再深入研究，要知道，古人是不會用后人的東西。

Materials refer to things other than those created by calligraphers and painters. It is divided into four parts: paper (silk) quality, ink color, pigment and printing mud. On the surface, these four points do not have much theory. In fact, this is not the case, especially in the identification of ancient calligraphy and painting works, the distinction of materials can directly make scientific judgments about some fakes without going deep. For example, a painting and calligraphy of the Ming Dynasty, if the material of the work is not old or new, there is no need to study it further. You should know that the ancients will not use the things of later generations.

材料學說基本可以概括成一定義：一點假即全假，也就是說發現材料的其中一點是假的，就可以斷定整件作品是假的！于書畫作品殘破接筆， 不能籠統概括混合其中，應另開思路科學對待！ 雖說材料一點假即全假，但是，材料真不一定作品真，同時代的仿品，老紙新作等膺品存世量巨大， 只有在肯定材料的基礎上，鑒定才有必要深入研究。

The material theory can be basically summarized as a definition: a little false is a whole false, that is to say, if one of the materials is false, you can conclude that the whole work is false! As for the broken brushwork of calligraphy and painting, we should not generalize and mix them in a general way. We should treat them scientifically in a different way! Although a little false material means all false, it is not necessarily true. There are a large number of contemporary imitations, old paper and new works. Only on the basis of affirming the material, can the identification be necessary for further study.

值得補充的是，新手對于一些用老紙，老墨，老顏料，老印泥制造的偽作，會產生一定的疑惑，其實這個疑惑是很天真的， 因為墨， 顏料， 印泥只有在紙質上使用之后，經過長時間氧化，才能體現出它的古氣，現成使用這些老材料，出來的效果其實和新材料相差無幾，是很容易分辨的。 除了同時代的仿品以外，現成的任何偽作是沒有古氣的。 總之，材料是鑒定的基礎，在鑒定過程中，應嚴謹對待，不可輕視。

It is worth adding that novices will have some doubts about some fake works made of old paper, old ink, old pigment, and old ink pad. In fact, this doubt is naive, because ink, pigment, and ink pad can only show its antiquity after being used on paper for a long time after oxidation. It is easy to distinguish the effect of ready-made use of these old materials from that of new materials. Except for contemporary imitations, any ready-made fakes are not archaic. In a word, materials are the basis of identification, which should be treated strictly and not despised in the process of identification.

筆墨是作者創作之心境，筆墨是作品表達之語言。筆墨可以反映出書畫的時代氣息，個人風格， 鑒定一件作品，要熟悉作品的時代氣息，進而了解作者的生活年代，活動場所， 然后研究作者不同年代不同的風格，這些知識有些是掌握的，有些是可以靈活推理，畢竟書畫歷史悠久，名家輩出， 存世量巨大，任何鑒定家不可能涉足書畫之全部。

The pen and ink is the mood of the author's creation, and the pen and ink is the language of the work's expression. Brush and ink can reflect the era and personal style of calligraphy and painting. To identify a work, first of all, you should be familiar with the era of the work, then understand the author's life time and place of activity, and then study the author's different styles in different years. Some of these knowledge are mastered, and some can be flexibly reasoned. After all, Chinese calligraphy and painting has a long history, with a large number of famous artists, and a huge amount of survival, It is impossible for any appraiser to get involved in all Chinese calligraphy and painting.

作品的時代氣息，是證實作者生活年代，活動場所的前提。我們知道，在書畫發展史上，同一個時代，不同的地域，都活躍著不同的書畫流派，所以，當熟悉了作品的時代氣息，就可以深入分割研究不同地域的不同流派，二者前后融會貫通，從而達到鑒定的目的。筆墨是鑒定書畫時代氣息的法寶，也是鑒定的必經之路，鑒定書畫時代氣息以筆墨入手。

The contemporary flavor of the work is the premise to confirm the author's age and place of activity. We know that in the history of the development of Chinese painting and calligraphy, different schools of painting and calligraphy are active in the same era and different regions. Therefore, when you are familiar with the contemporary flavor of the work, you can deeply divide and study different schools of painting and calligraphy in different regions, and the two are integrated before and after, so as to achieve the purpose of identification. Pen and ink are the magic weapon and the only way to identify the flavor of the era of calligraphy and painting.