PROBABLY KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

According to Robert D. Mowry in Worlds within Worlds: The Richard Rosenblum Collection of Chinese Scholars' Rocks, perforated rocks of this type, which also function as censers, were first used by the literati during the Song dynasty (960-1125). As the smoke emerged from the censer, it would have appeared as though it was mist encircling a soaring mountain. This provocative image likely served as the inspiration for the literati to employ these types of perforated hollow rocks as incense burners. The Rosenblum Collection also contains another black Lingbi censer in the form of three mountain peaks, illustrated ibid., p. 163, no. 6, where it is dated Kangxi period.