Each of the brushes has the red, circular logo 'Taiyodo 太陽堂', the business that made them, at the top, and another plain white sticker lower down with the Chinese characters 太陽堂製 ('Made by the Taiyang Tang'). Two of the brushes are lacquered red, one lacquered black, and two are plain bamboo. Each has the Chinese characters 劍橋大學李約瑟用筆 (Brush for the use of Joseph Needham of Cambridge University) inscribed on it, and are of varying length. Where or when he was given them is not certain.