Subtle, natural markings at both ends of its bamboo stem handle give the Bamboo Forest brush just that little bit of oomph – not that this all-rounder brush needs to impress aesthetically. Truth be told, this compound brush is so versatile, it will come in handy for any kind of calligraphic script you wish to write.

The Chinese characters carved on its handle, Miao Pin Jian Hao, indicate that this mixed hair brush was crafted to be “ingenious”. This might sound like an overinflated boast until one finds out that the Bamboo Forest brush was handmade by our family friend and master brush maker, Zhou Xiaobing.

The Bamboo Forest brush has a tip consisting of a 50% goat hair exterior, which surrounds the 50% weasel hair core. Artists undecided on whether to choose a soft hair or hard hair brush can have the best of both worlds with this compound brush. The softness of the goat hair and the stiffness of the weasel hair combine to give the Bamboo Forest brush qualities of suppleness and resilience, making it suitable for various styles of painting as well.