Lot Essay
In his catalogue entry for the present rock in Worlds Within Worlds, op. cit., p. 198, Robert D. Mowry states, "Gray and black Lingbi stones came from the same caves in northeastern Anhui province; closely related geologically, they differ in general appearance because gray examples lack the carbonaceous inclusions that give black stones their distinctive color. Their dense structure makes all Lingbi rocks resonant, whatever their color; for reasons not yet understood, however, gray examples tend to be the most resonant. This exceptionally sonorous specimen numbers among the most resonant of all."