Ancient Chinese Art treasures

Number by catalogue:  Michel: 755   Yvert: 686   Scott: 1641  

Perforation type: 13x13

Subject:

$1.50. Agate millstone

 

Additional:

* This millstones and many other treasures at this moment saved at National Palace Museum, Taipei.

 

A kind of revolving turntable-like tool made of stone used for grinding grain began to appear in the Ch'in and Han dynasties. Later generations would later call this a millstone. In general, a mill made of stone is composed of a round disc on top of a pedestal, the place where they meet being engraved with a saw-tooth pattern. The principle behind this mechanism is to pour grain through a hole in the center of the disc, which then enters the spaces between the teeth below. When the disc is turned in a circular motion, the grains are crushed repeatedly into a fine powder.

The ancient Chinese believed that consuming certain minerals could enhance not only beauty but also divine insight. Consequently, in addition to grinding grain in millstones, they were also used for pulverizing minerals. Most mills were fashioned from stone, but this one made from a semi-precious form of the mineral quartz known as agate reveals the noble status of the imperial family member who used it.

This information has been taken from National Palace Museum web page.