A Rare and Massive Porous Water-Absorbing Rock and Stone Jardinière on Stand

17TH CENTURY OR LATER

Details

A Rare and Massive Porous Water-Absorbing Rock and Stone Jardinière on Stand
17th Century or Later
The tall, slender pierced grey rock with irregular porous surface, supported within a rectangular stone jardinière with flared sides, carved in high relief on one of the longer sides with two dragons contesting a flaming pearl, the other with a seated qilin with flames rising from his back, one end with a lotus spray and the other with a peony spray, the separate waisted stand with scrolled apron joining the four curved legs
8ft. 8½in. (265.5cm.) high overall

Lot Essay

This imposing rock seated in its jardinière would have been intended for display in a garden setting either on its own or in a grouping with other rocks of similar stature to create a mountainous landscape in miniature. The water-absorbing power of the rock lends it movement and reminds the viewer of the mutability of nature. Compare the massive rocks seated in jardinières in a garden illustrated in Qu Fu Kong Miao Jian Zhu (The Construction of the Confucian Temple in Qu Fu), Beijing, 1987, pp. 151.

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