"Recumbent Lion" Lingbi Scholars' Rock Sculpture

Scholarly pursuits such as painting, calligraphy, and poetry were a highly respected and revered subculture in ancient China, and demanded their own set of tools that were not only functional, but also beautiful. One of the "Four Treasures of the Study," inkstones such as this were used to mix dry ink with water for use in calligraphy painting. This 19th century inkstone is guarded by a mythical fu dog, or shizi, depicted with open jaws and a long mane of flowing curls. Resembling a Buddhist fly whisk...

A well-chosen stone is a focal point of both a traditional Chinese garden and a scholar's studio, evoking the complexities of nature and inspiring creative thought. Polished to bring...

Hunkered down on his drum perch, a fu dog jealousy guards the pool where a calligrapher once prepared his ink. A symbol of protection, the lion-like beast bears the features of a shih-tzu, a dog originally bred to resemble this mythical canine. Scholarly implements, such as this carved limestone ink...

Scholarly pursuits such as painting, calligraphy, and poetry were a highly respected and revered subculture in ancient China, and demanded their own set of tools that were not only f...

Scholarly pursuits such as painting, calligraphy, and poetry were a highly respected and revered subculture in ancient China, and demanded their own set of tools that were not only functional, but also beautiful. Scholars relied on inkstones such as this one to mix their dry inks with water for use in calligraphy painting. This stone inkstone is covered in intricate carvings of crashing waves, surrounding the image of a horse bearing a saddle. Covered in scales, the horse is likely a longma, or "dragon horse...

This petite 19th century tray reflects the Qing-dynasty literati's taste for fine materials and balanced proportions. Once used to serve tea or hold scholarly implements, the tray is...

A fantastic Chinese scholar's stone, called gongshi, of gray lingbi limestone, mounted on a hardwood stand, late Qing or early Republic, early 20th century, circa 1910, China . The ...

Chinese Gray Scholar's Rock, of naturalistic form, on early 19th century rosewood stand.

Bright, deep rich red ground and veins on a deep grey background. Chunghua, China Chicken Blood Stones are a prized ornamental material made of quartz,...

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...

On offer is a large and expressive scholar rock on a fitted wood stand collected by an American collector in Palm Desert, CA circa 1980s. The deep grey boulder is likely granite and takes a wonderful natural form of a mountain peak. The dark matrix is dramatically intercepted with strokes of white veins, that looks like an abstract painting by Franz Kine. The rock is presented in the tradition of a Chinese scholar rock (Gong Shi) on a fitted carved wood stand, but it strikes the viewer as a modern and abstract version. While Chinese scholar stones are appreciated all over the world, many collectors also look into their local stone sources that reflect the same spirit and philosophy of using the viewing stone...

On offer is a highly abstract scholar rock on a fitted wood stand collected by an American collector in Palm Desert, CA. The dense rock in dark grey is likely granite and takes a natural sculptural form of a bird, which explains the note on the back from the previous collector "A Constantin Brancusi Bird". The rock is presented in the tradition of a Chinese scholar rock on a fitted carved wood stand, very sculptural and visually interesting from different angles. While Chinese scholar stones are appreciated all over the world, many collectors also look into their local stone sources that reflect the same spirit and philosophy of using the viewing stone...