For your consideration are Five (5) Antique Chinese Weasel Hair Calligraphy Brushes, circa mid to late 1900s. Chinese calligraphy, the stylized artistic writing of Chinese characters, the written form of Chinese that unites the languages (many mutually unintelligible) spoken in China. Because calligraphy is considered supreme among the visual arts in China, it sets the standard by which Chinese painting is judged. There are five major styles of Chinese calligraphy – Zhuan, Li, Cao, Xing and Kai. These gradually evolved over time and between different regions, resulting in a fascinating diversity of Chinese calligraphy art across China. Utilizing the "Four Treasures of the Study", Brush, Paper, Ink Stick and Ink Slab, the Chinese calligrapher or painter is able to evoke innumerable images and concepts. There are four major categories of brushes for Chinese calligraphy based on materials used: Hard Brushes - usually Weasel Hair Brush “pronounced as Lun Hao ( ?? )," more resilient and stiff; Soft Brushes - usually Goat Hair Brush “pronounced as Yeung Hao ( ?? ),” softer than weasel hair: Combination Brushes “pronounced as Jian Hao ( ?? )” – generally combine weasel and goat hair or other hair in various percentages; Brushes made of other types of hair, i.e. rat, rabbit, deer, horse, bear, badger, rooster, baby hair. These brushes appear to be Weasel Hair Brushes which are mistakenly translated as Wolf Hair Brushes in many English resources as the Chinese people usually do not distinguish a wolf ( ?? ) from a weasel ( ??? ) in the spoken Chinese language. These types of brushes are made from the hair of the weasel's tails while a wolf's hair will be too stiff to write. These brushes are in very nice condition, the wooden handles are natural and soft in color, gentle in feeling,carved with golden Chinese calligraphy characters for decoration. Tip covers on each brush. Longest brush is 12.05"L, shortest is 9.25"L. Collective weight U 6 oz.