19th Century Large Chinese Horizontal Gray Lingbi Scholar Stone with Grotto on Display Stand

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A wonderfully formed Chinese scholar stone of Lingbi type presented on a carved wood base with curvy conforming contour. Impressive … Read more A wonderfully formed Chinese scholar stone of Lingbi type presented on a carved wood base with curvy conforming contour. Impressive in size and substantial in weight, this grey Lingbi stone manifests itself in the silouette of a horizontal mountain range. The extraordinary surface showcases deep furrows and folding with wrinkled edges throughout, creating an arresting imagery that mimics the nature. White mineral veins run through the crevices, both front and back. A grotto punctuated through the mountain forming a "Heavenly Gate" (There is a very similar scenery in China with that name close to Zhangjiajie Limestone peaks). A white mineral streak runs through the grotto. It might be a stream cascading down into a waterfall in the summer or snow accumulations in winter. The scenery opens viewer's imaginary eyes. When one moves in front of the stone, one is rewarded with constantly changing sceneries. Dark color Lingbi stones with white mica crystal deposits like this were sought after by Chinese literati, as they evoke a poetic imagery of mountain dusted with melting snow. It is the epitome of the stone philosophy: the accidental creation of nature in relatively miniature form reflects and projects a much larger and more grand vision.
Lingbi stone, as the name indicated, was collected form Lingbi, Anhui Province in China. It is one of the four main stones collected by scholars as Gongshi (Spirited Stone or meditation stone) in Chinese history: Lingbi, Taihu, Yingde and Kun. These exotic rocks are priced and rated for their four qualities: shou (thinness), zhou (wrinkles), lou (hollowness), and tou (transparency). The history of collecting and appreciating interesting stones among the literati in China began as early as the 13th century in Yuan Dynasty, and it continued to this day. They are considered containing the spirit of nature and are priced item displayed in the scholar's studio for meditation.
For other example of horizontal Lingbi stone, see "Spirit Stone the Ancient Art of the Scholar's Rock" by Kemin Hu and Thomas S. Elias. page 58. See less