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

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A Chinese scholar stone of Lingbi type in horizontal form presented on a carved conforming wood base. Impressive in size … Read more A Chinese scholar stone of Lingbi type in horizontal form presented on a carved conforming wood base. Impressive in size and form, this Lingbi stone manifests itself in a silouette of mountain range. The extraordinary surface showcases fine furrows and folding with wrinkled edges throughout, creating an arresting imagery that mimics the nature. A group of interlinked grottos form on top of the higher peak that cascades down the backside into a deep ravine. The stone is largely a dark grey on the front, embedded with fine thin white veins and scattered red iron rich mineral patches. The red core became more prominent on the back side, giving the rock an unusual orange as if reflecting the sunset. Viewing the stone from different angles, one is rewarded with changed sceneries.

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