Chinese Viewing Stone

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...

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...

Known as gongshi, or scholars' rocks, lingbi stones such as this were fixtures of the scholars' studio, displayed as sources of beauty and creative inspiration. Meditating on the sto...

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

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...

Sculptural and unusual stone formations have long been fixtures of the scholars' studio, displayed as sources of beauty and creative inspiration. Known as gongshi, or scholars' rocks...

A malachite rock specimen with intense green and black colors fitted on a wood stand. The gemstone in the botryoidal form was polished in all sides except one side with a fissure to reveal the beautiful swirling patterns and colors. It is displayed as a viewing stone on a fitted wood base by an American collector of Chinese scholar rocks. Known as "Peacock Rock" in Chinese, there was a more recent tradition in China (from Qing Dynasty and on) to collect the exotic gemstones such as malachite and turquoise specimen...

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...

A malachite rock specimen with intense green and black colors fitted on a wood stand. The gemstone in the botryoidal form was polished in all sides except one side with a fissure to reveal the beautiful swirling patterns and colors. It is displayed as a viewing stone on a fitted wood base by an American collector of Chinese scholar rocks. Known as "Peacock Rock" in Chinese, there was a more recent tradition in China (from Qing Dynasty and on) to collect the exotic gemstones such as malachite and turquoise specimen...

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...

A malachite specimen with intense green and black colors fitted on a wood stand. The botryoidal form was polished in the front and sides to reveal the beautiful swirling patterns and color while the back was left natural. It is displayed as a viewing stone on a fitted wood base by an American collector of Chinese scholar rocks. Known as "Peacock Rock" in Chinese, there was a more recent tradition in China (from Qing Dynasty and on) to collect the exotic gemstones such as malachite and turquoise...

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,...