Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

A 19th Century Chinese Scholar's Stone on a Wooden Stand

About the Item

This impressive (and heavy) polished stone resembles a scholar's mountain as depicted in Chinese traditional paintings. Though it has greenish areas that resemble jade, it is actually a complex colored marble. The vintage piece has been fitted to a custom elm wood display stand with elegant cabriole legs. The stone fits into a custom base that smoothly rotates on a lazy Susan-style ball bearing slide. Scholar's stones were often found in the homes of the wealthy and were collected for their beauty and symbolic value. Chinese collectors liked to meditate on these stones which took the form of exaggerated and picturesque mountain landscapes. As mountains were thought to be holy places and the abode of the gods, owning a miniature representation of a mountain was thought to direct one's attention to higher spiritual contemplation. The jade green color was prized above all as it symbolized friendship. The piece makes an ideal addition to a private study and would also make a dramatic and refreshingly organic addition to a modern minimalist decor scheme.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 60.5 in (153.67 cm)Diameter: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    c. 1900
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Chicago, IL
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 22T020401stDibs: LU886431167802
More From This SellerView All
  • Neolithic Jar on Stand
    Located in Chicago, IL
    This Neolithic jar originates from China 3500 BC and these funerary jars were placed in tombs and intended for use in the afterlife.
    Category

    Antique 15th Century and Earlier Chinese Jars

    Materials

    Terracotta

  • Neolithic Jar on Stand
    Located in Chicago, IL
    This Neolithic jar originates from China 3500 BC and these funerary jars were placed in tombs and intended for use in the afterlife.
    Category

    Antique 15th Century and Earlier Chinese Jars

    Materials

    Terracotta

  • 19th Century Chinese Altar Table
    Located in Chicago, IL
    This long, elegant altar table once provided a place to burn incense or display valuable art objects. It may have been used in the reception hall of a private mansion or in an ancestral shrine...
    Category

    Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Console Tables

    Materials

    Elm

  • Rare 18th C Wooden Statue of St. John the Baptist
    Located in Chicago, IL
    This exceptionally life-like antique sculpture is carved from linden wood and once decorated a French church or cathedral. The figure stands authoritatively, with right arm raised and index finger extended toward heaven. It probably stood on a base in a side chapel. According to Christian iconography of the period, this gesture signifies that salvation comes only through baptism. The figure wears a girdle of animal fir, probably from a bear, making symbolic reference to St. John the Baptist's life in the wilderness of Judea, between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. The elegantly carved robe is a baroque element that adds a sense of motion and energy to the artwork. Originally, the sculpture was polychromed, but the original pigments have weathered away and been replaced with whitewash. Repairs, losses, and insect damage are minor and expected due to great age. many vintage and antique religious sculptures...
    Category

    Antique 18th Century French Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Wood

  • Wooden Naga-Tribe TOTEM
    Located in Chicago, IL
    Still one of the world’s most isolated societies, the The Naga of mountainous northeastern India are talented artisans that create everything they need from the natural resources of ...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Indian Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Hardwood

  • Carved Wooden Bamana Tribe Style Post
    Located in Chicago, IL
    Bamana tribe art is known for masks, textiles and architectural elements. This Y-shaped post supported a heavy roof timber and acted as a welcoming symbol...
    Category

    20th Century African Tribal Architectural Elements

    Materials

    Wood

You May Also Like
  • Chinese Gray Scholar's Rock
    Located in Hudson, NY
    Chinese Gray Scholar's Rock, of naturalistic form, on early 19th century rosewood stand.
    Category

    Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Scholar's Objects

    Materials

    Stone

  • Gonshi Chinese Metamorphic Scholar's Rock
    Located in New York, NY
    Chinese metamorphic scholar's rock, unmarked, glued to base. Dimensions: 6.5" H x 11" W x 2.5" D Dealer: S138XX  
    Category

    Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Natural Specimens

    Materials

    Stone

  • Extraordinary Chinese Scholar Rock Yingde Stone on Stand
    Located in Atlanta, GA
    The Chinese scholar rock on offer here is a wonderful example of Yingde stone, a less common type than Lingbi or Taihu. Gray in color, it has an extraordinary upright form rising fro...
    Category

    Antique 19th Century Chinese Qing Scholar's Objects

    Materials

    Stone

  • Malachite Rock on Display Stand Chinese Scholar Stone
    Located in Atlanta, GA
    A malachite rock specimen with intense green and black colors fitted on a wood stand and displayed as a Chinese scholar stone. The gemstone in t...
    Category

    20th Century American Chinoiserie Natural Specimens

    Materials

    Stone

  • Large Chinese Mid-19th Century Sand Stone Sculpture of a Scholar
    Located in Torino, IT
    Large Chinese mid-19th century sand stone sculpture of a scholar.
    Category

    Antique 19th Century Chinese Sculptures

  • Abstract Stone Sculpture Chinese Scholar Stone on a Faux Marble Stand
    Located in Miami, FL
    This captivating antique Chinese scholar stone, estimated to be from the late 19th century, evokes a sense of tranquility and inspires contempl...
    Category

    Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Organic Modern Natural Specimens

    Materials

    Stone

Recently Viewed

View All