{"product_id":"shanghai-stationery-queenmother-of-the-west","title":"Shanghai Stationary Queenmother of the West — 4ml Fountain Pen Ink Sample","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHue:\u003c\/strong\u003e A muted, dusty taupe with a distinct mauve-purple cast. The manufacturer tags it as mauve and taupe, which matches what I see, a soft, greyed, low-saturation shade. Written at normal line width it reads noticeably lighter and warmer, closer to a grey-brown, than the pooled swatches suggest. Where the ink pools heavily it separates out to a deep violet-indigo edge against the dusty mauve body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShading:\u003c\/strong\u003e Strong. There's a wide range between the pale, warm ends of the stroke and the deep, near-black pooling, and the separation into violet at the edges of the drops gives it real character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSheen:\u003c\/strong\u003e None.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShimmer:\u003c\/strong\u003e None.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFlow:\u003c\/strong\u003e Medium.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe interesting bit:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Queen Mother of the West — Xiwangmu — is one of the oldest deities in the Chinese record. The earliest historical trace of her comes from Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions recording sacrifices to a \"Western Mother\", which puts her ahead of organised Taoism, though she's most often associated with it. She holds court in a palace on the mythological Mount Kunlun, and she's linked to an orchard of longevity peaches said to ripen once every three thousand years. She's a goddess of life and immortality, worshipped across Asia under a long list of names — Divine Mother, Golden Mother of the Jade Pond, Lady Queen Mother, or simply Amah. Shanghai Stationary itself is a small family operation: Astrid and Emile make all their inks in the Netherlands, and their motto is that they met in Shanghai but make in the Netherlands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a hand-decanted 4ml sample vial from my own bottle.\u003cbr\u003ePhotos are my own swatches on Tomoe River Paper.\u003cbr\u003eI'm a collector and I'm always happy to talk ink, so please message me if you have any questions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shanghai Stationary","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57266213454150,"sku":"INK-079","price":2.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1020\/9696\/1862\/files\/Shanghai_Stationary_-_Queenmother_of_the_West_3.jpg?v=1788646243","url":"https:\/\/thepensmuggler.co.uk\/products\/shanghai-stationery-queenmother-of-the-west","provider":"The Pen Smuggler","version":"1.0","type":"link"}