Chinese scholar's rocks
Chinese scholars' rocks (供石 or gōngshí), also known as scholar stones or viewing stones, are small naturally shaped rocks which are traditionally valued by Chinese scholars.[1]
Scholars rocks can be any color. There are a wide variety of sizes. Scholars rocks can weigh hundreds of pounds or less than one pound.[2] The term also means stones which are placed in traditional Chinese gardens.
History
Four important qualities for the rocks were recognized in the Tang dynasty. They are: thinness (shou), openness (tou), perforations (lou), and wrinkling (zhou).[1]
Chinese scholar's rocks influenced the development of suseok in Korea and suiseki in Japan.[3]
Origin
The origin of the stone is a notable feature.
- Lingbi stone (Lingbishi) from Lingbi, Anhui province, limestone[4]
- Taihu stone (Taihushi) from Lake Tai, Jiangsu province, limestone[4]
- Yingde stone (Yingshi or Yingdeshi) from Yingde, Guangdong province, limestone[5]
Evaluation
The evaluation of a scholar's rock identifies subtlety of color, shape, markings and surface. The qualities which are prized include
- awkwardness or odd symmetry[6]
- resonance or ringing when struck[6]
- represents or resemblance to landscape or figure[6]
- texture[6]
- moistness or glossy surface[6]
The stone may be displayed on a wooden base that has been carved specifically for the stone. The stones are a traditional subject of Chinese paintings.[7]
Chinese Scholar's Rocks Media
Gongshi (Scholar's rock) in Wenmiao temple, Shanghai
- China; Scholar's rock; Sculpture
- China; Scholar's rock; Sculpture
- China; Scholar's rock; Sculpture
- China; Scholar's rock; Sculpture
Exhibit in the Princeton University Art Museum - Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
In 1503, Guo Xu painted Mi Fu Bowing to a Rock. The 11th-century calligrapher Mi Fu, often regarded as eccentric, believed that some of these rocks had their own souls and would pay them his respects by bowing.
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Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Metropolitan Museum of Art, "The World of Scholars' Rocks Gardens, Studios, and Paintings"; retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ↑ Harvard Shanghai Center, "Scholar Stone"; retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ↑ Brokaw, Charles. (2011). The Temple Mount Code, p. 73.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cousins, Craig. (2006). Bonsai Master Class, p. 246.
- ↑ Cousins, p. 247.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Mendelson, John. "Chinese scholars' rocks simultaneously original and simulacrum" at ArtNet.com, 1996; retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ↑ Harvard Museums, "Scholar's rock", 1993 painting; Linrothe, Robert N. (2004). Paradise and Plumage: Chinese Connections in Tibetan Arhat Painting, p. 24; retrieved 2012-12-20.
Other websites
Media related to Scholar's rocks at Wikimedia Commons