"Any Chinese calligrapher must have in his possession a set of the instruments that are indispensable for the exercise of his art. The essential equipment is composed of four elements." (Between Heaven and Earth: A History of Chinese Writing).
These "Four Treasures" of the calligrapher or scholar are: 1) Brush, 2) Ink, 3) Ink Stone, and 4) Paper. There are many different types of brushes, but they each need a place to be stored. This is a boxwood Chinese brush pot. It is carved with scenes of scholars gathering amidst nature, under the trees at the base of a mountain, listening to the rushing of the stream, playing music, composing poems, debating the classics.