QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

Yellow wax stones, also called huanglashi, are composed of golden silica and originate in riverbeds in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. They became popular as rocks for display in scholar’s studios in the 17th and 18th centuries when the taste for scholar’s rocks developed from subdued colours of grey, black and white to include brightly coloured stones. Robert Mowry suggests that the emergence of yellow wax stones in literati circles might be related to the popularity of yellow jades during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Detailed discussion can be seen in his ‘Chinese Scholars’ Rocks: An Overview’, Worlds Within Worlds: The Richard Rosenblum Collection of Chinese Scholars’ Rocks, New York, 1997, p. 29.