A dense cross-hatching of white striations emphasizes the wrinkles on this small Chinese scholar's rock. The shape of the stone and the red/gold deposits spread across the surface suggest a wrinkled, roaring tiger. This stone most likely was harvested and collected by its original owner during the early 20th century, possibly near the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is an unusual stone because it embodies within its small size many qualities that were sought after by the scholar/collector--striation... Click for details
Named "Lake and Lotus" by a former owner, this polished slab scholar's rock is classified as a "fantastic" or representational stone, one in which viewers see pictures from this and other worlds. While there may be a lake and lotus in the shapes created by the stone's natural color patterns, there is a stronger image of the torso of an exuberant dancer with arms thrown up in the air over his/her head, so it may just as appropriately be named "The Dancer." Whatever picture a viewer sees, this sto... Click for details
With a form so graceful and light that it appears to undulate upwards from its base, this Taihu scholar's stone is classified as "linglong," one of the criteria used by connoisseurs to judge the rocks collected by Chinese literati. The term linglong can be translated as "shapely" or, more poetically, as "pierced with many holes." This stone also is in the category of "fantastic rock" (as opposed to "zoomorphic rocks" and "landscape rocks") for the obvious reason that one can see abstract, dream-... Click for details
Sometimes called Gobi Desert viewing stones, or fengli, Mongolian rocks are exotic and mysterious, with surfaces unlike those of viewing stones harvested anywhere else in the world. The unusual textures seen in this stone are the effects of wind and sand erosion combined with desert heat. The stone is fascinating when viewed from any angle. Craggy grey/brown areas that look like dense fossilized bone merge with light, shiny melt-down veins and scattered spots of faded rust color. Gobi desert sto... Click for details
An intricately textured surface and delicate color shadings against brilliant white combine to make this a scholar's rock of breathtaking beauty. The carved hong mu base has an elliptical shape that balances and stabilizes several overhanging projections on the vertically oriented rock. Judging by the shape of the rock, popular during the Qing Dynasty, and the type of base, typical during early Qing years, this piece most likely was collected during the 19th century or earlier. Classified as a "... Click for details
A Lake Taihu scholar's rock in a reddish hue is balanced here on a wood base that adds tension and intrigue. This piece is beautiful when viewed from any angle, the hallmark of a fine stone. Rocks from Lake Taihu in southern Jiangsu Province near Suzhou originally were collected in much larger sizes for use in gardens. During the Tang Dynasty, these rocks with many craters were highly prized and appear in Tang garden paintings and poetry. It was not until much later in the Ming and Qing Dynastie... Click for details
Chinese scholars' rocks, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing in themselves, often evoked for the collector a form in nature--a particular mountain peak, a waterfall or an animal. Such associations were made either because of the overall shape of the rock or, as in the case of this "fish" rock, because natural patterns on the stone surface suggested a form or scene. This type of rock would have been polished to enhance the color pattern, and it is possible that the fish was not even appar... Click for details
Shades of grey, lilac, blue, green and cream can be seen in this slab-shaped Chinese scholar's rock. Many scenes can be conjured by gazing into the layers, swirls and lines of color on its polished surfaces. It could evoke two boats on the shore of a lake, a storm in the mountains or a fantastic grotto. The rocks Chinese scholars brought into their studios as a focus for their meditation generally are divided by collectors into three categories: the landscape rock, zoomorphic rock and the fanta... Click for details
The exceptionally fine base on this scholar's stone suggests how highly the stone was revered. It is a type of rock found on Laoshan Mountain, near the coast in Shandong Province, Eastern China. Chinese scholars, who recognized the aesthetic and spiritual qualities of particular rocks, began nearly 1000 years ago during the Sung Dynasty to commission appropriate pedestals in order to display and contemplate their favorite stones in their studios. Scholars' rocks represented nature, the world in ... Click for details
A small Chinese ‘dreamstone’ plaque of elongated octagonal form, the surface polished to show a mystical landscape. Probably Dali marble.19th century. Inscribed.
