Posts filed under 'Learn about Scholars' Rocks'
In 1995 Marden traveled to Japan, China, and Hong Kong. He was moved by the asceticism, refined geometries, and meticulously framed vistas of the Japanese rock gardens, and in Kyoto he must have thought of his father, builder of dry stone walls, when he saw the dry cascade in the Saiho-ji (Kokedera) paradise garden. But it was only when he got to China and the rock gardens at Suzhou that he fully grasped the spiritual resonance and compositional authority of this ancient art form. Marden said he “got it,” all at once, when Suzhou’s famous “Cloud-Capped Peak” came into view; it was instantly clear to him how a rock could be the subject of veneration.
In China, rocks may be venerated in nature (whether as mountains or as isolated boulders), in gardens (where they are carefully sited in composed landscapes, often having been transported at great expense and effort from remote locations), or on tabletops and in the display cases of connoisseurs. The latter objects, known as gongshi in China, are often called “scholar’s rocks” in the West, but the term “spirit rock” comes closer to the Asian sensibility regarding these preternatural works of art. (The term gongshi comes from the characters for “respect” and “stone.”) Marden bought his first spirit rock in 1995 and now has a number of fine examples, which he keeps in view in his studios.
The above except is from the book: Plane Image - A Brice Marden Retrospective
February 9th, 2008
As early as the 12th century, the Chinese characterized the furnishings of a home as “elegant,” in the sense not only for beauty but also of convenience and comfort. This was a moral issue, because elegance created an ambiance responsive to the qi – the life force or spirit that flows through everything. Thus on the scholar’s deck, he set a spirit rock. He would have searched for this in the lakes where they were especially to be found, seeking out a rock that encapsulated the landscape. Large rocks were placed outside the window in an inner court, but this one sat close to him. The rock had experience of the earth, and brought it into the study. It is particularly inspirational, because it has holes through which air and light can stream, bringing the qi of the earth to the spirit of the scholar.
The above except is from the book Sister Wendy’s American Collection
February 9th, 2008
Place of origin:
Lingbi County, Anhui Province
Mineral composition:
Calcite and other limestones
Ranked first among the four types of famous Chinese Scholars Rocks. These are found in Lingbi county of Anhui Province, China. They are fine-grained, delicately textured limestone and lie deep in the red mud of the Qingshi mountains. Naturally shaped, they need no cutting or carving. Depleted after generations of mining, high quality Lingbi are now quite rare. They are hard and an ordinary knife cannot cut them. Their mineral composition is such that they produce a metallic, resonant sound when tapped. Hence they are also called ‘resonant rocks’ (bayinshi). They were sometimes used for making chimes and are thus also known as ‘chime rocks’. Lingbi rocks are beautiful and clear-cut, with a frame of soft lines. Combining masculine beauty with antique simplicity, they have been admired by connoisseurs for centuries. In the Northern Song dynasty, Emperor Huizong wrote this inscription on one Lingbi in his collection: “The mountain is high while the moon looks small the water ebbs and the rock juts forth.”
February 7th, 2008
Place of origin:
Jiangsu, Henan, Guangdong, and Guangxi Provinces
Mineral composition:
Limestone (calcite)
Found mostly in the vast drainage areas of Tai Lake, these limestone rocks are hard but brittle, with slight variations among those taken from lake beds and those extracted on land or from different districts in the surrounding environs. Those formed underwater are more precious, because of their fresh, soft color and their multiple, linked perforations produced from years of wave and water erosion. With their pale gray or ivory tint, Taihu rocks are usually large and are regarded as the best garden rocks. Artificial hills made of Taihu rocks give the appearance of strange peaks looming up or chains of hills connected by streams and bridges, with successive peaks along narrow, twisted paths. Small Taihu rocks of good quality are rare and meant for indoor appreciation. The beauty of Taihu rocks comes from their thinness and wrinkles as well as their as their perforations and hollows which enhance their open appearance.
February 7th, 2008
Place of origin:
Yingde County, Guangdong Province, and Guangxi Province
Mineral composition:
Limestone (calcite)
Tradionally produced in Yingde, Guangdong province and in Guanxi province, these rocks are limestone with calcite deposits. less hard than Lingbi, they are often full of furrows with twisted lines on intricately textured surfaces. Notable for their diverse shaped, they appear to embody a thousand hills and valleys, and so are well-suited for representing a far distant landscape. Their typical thin, wrinkled appearance often exhibits traces of sawing and cutting with distinguishable front and reverse sides. The best known example is called ‘Winkling Cloud Peak’ in Hangzhou’s West lake, China.
February 7th, 2008
Place of origin:
Liujiang County, Guangxi Province
Mineral composition:
Limestones (calcite)
Also known as black Ying stones, these are formed by erosion of lake water. Like Taihu stones, they are characterized by their shou (thinness), zhou (wrinkles), lou (hollowness), and tou (transparency), but they are more diverse in shape and with gentle, smooth lines on the surface. In addition, collectors take a great fancy to the pitch black color of Mohu stones. Other Mohu stones have white streaks on the surface; those with many gorgeous white streaks are know as “white-streaked Mohu stones” (baihuamohu), a rare and precious stone type.
Smooth, elegant, and with gently undulating lines on the surface, Mohu stones excel in the features of traditional scholars’ rocks, resemble modern art as well, and so appeal to the tastes of interior designers. Mohu stones appear in colors other than black, including, deep gray, but these are not commonly seen. Like Taihu stones, Mohu stones are not as hard as Lingbi and Ying stones.
February 7th, 2008
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