The delicate manipulation of the polished surfaces of this large stone evokes a bouquet of flowers, closely resembling the circular blooms of chrysanthemum. Malachite is not a stone generally used in traditional Chinese scholar’s rocks, but because of its similar form, with craggy recesses and small meandering paths, it has been accepted into the field.

For a discussion exclusively on malachite scholar’s rocks see Larry and Nina Ragle, A Hidden World of Green: A Study of Similarity to Ancient Chinese and Japanese Stones: An Album of the Malachite Collection of Ralph Johnson, Laguna Beach, 2007. For general information on malachite scholar’s rocks, see Robert D. Mowry, Worlds Within Worlds: The Richard Rosenblum Collection of Chinese Scholars’ Rocks, Harvard University Art Museums, 1997, pp. 290-7, nos. 70-72.