Chinese Taihu Stone

Taihu stones are naturally occurring limestone rocks native to Lake Tai in Jiangsu Province, China. They are revered as scholars' rocks and meditation ston...

Like scholars' rocks, petrified, or fossilized, wood is appreciated for its natural beauty. Sometimes called "Tree Jade," petrified wood is thought to bring peace and prosperity to its surroundings. Each log has its own unique patterns of fossilized moss, bark, and the scars of a lifetime. These facets bring to mind a fascinating combination of organic mortality and preserved permanence. We keep them in their raw, unworked state, using the logs in...

Set upon its side, we display this dahua stone like a traditional scholars' rock (gongshi). Meditating on the stone’s irregular composition, the Qing-dynasty scholar sought inspirati...

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...

Along with paper, ink, and inkstone, the brush is one of the Four Treasures of the scholar’s studio. Arguably the most important tool, the brush served as a direct link to the artist...

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

An elegant Taihu scholar rock balanced on a custom wood stand, in a mushroom cloud form and full of grottoes. The weather-smoothed surface is of grayish...

A Chinese scholar stone in an upright mushroom form displayed on a custom wood stand. Wonderful and well-balanced, the ocher and cream color ston...

A large and dramatic Chinese Gongshi (known as meditation stone or spirit stone) from Taihu (Lake Tai) balanced on display stand. This scholar rock features a relatively red and poro...

On offer is a tall Taihu scholar rock in a mushroom-cloud form displayed on a custom carved wood stand. Wonderful and well-balanced, the stone is of an uncommon waxy deep yellow color with black and white mineral deposits mixed into the texture. Being exposed to the flowing water for millennium, the surface has been polished and weathered, and is now mostly smooth yet still maintains some slightly rugged edges and points at places. Many grottoes puncture and permeate the piece, interlinking and window-like, creating interesting positive and negative spaces for a meditative mind. A remarkable work of art created by mother nature. Stones such as this from Taihu lake was among the four famous stones since ancient time in China. They have been collected and prized by Chinese scholars since Tang dynasty when using them in garden came in vogue. Later on, smaller pieces like this one were displayed in the scholar's private study serving as a mini form of nature for meditation. In China, they are also known as Gongshi ("worshipped stone") and in the west, known also as Spirit Stone...

On offer is an upright tall Taihu scholar rock in a mushroom-cloud form displayed on a custom wood stand. Wonderful and well-balanced, the stone is of an uncommon waxy deep yellow color with black and white deposit marks nicely mixed into the texture. Being exposed to the flowing water for millennium, the surface has been polished and weathered, and is now mostly smooth yet still maintains some slightly rugged edges and points at places. Many grottoes puncture and permeate the piece, interlinking and window-like, creating interesting positive and negative spaces for a meditative mind. A remarkable work of art created by mother nature. Stones such as this from Taihu lake was among the four famous stones since ancient time in China. They have been collected and prized by Chinese scholars since Tang dynasty when using them in garden came in vogue. Later on, smaller pieces like this one were displayed in the scholar's private study serving as a mini form...

A Chinese Gongshi (known as meditation stone or spirit stone) from Taihu (Lake Tai) balanced on display stand. This scholar rock features a relatively rar...