Chinese GONGSHI OR Scholar's Rock

Full of holes, and every one of them deliberate in its own way.

This gongshi, or scholar's rock, comes from Yunnan Province, China. It is stone, set on a hardwood stand. Chinese scholars long prized naturally eroded stones as miniature mountains for contemplation, generally favoring rocks that were thin, perforated and wrinkled. This one is a pale, honey-colored mass riddled with cavities, one punched clean through near the top, and it stretches out low like a ridge seen from far off. The dark stand is a low table with stretchers and scrolled feet, fitted beneath with a box holding a round metal-lined well. It is 17 inches wide and 13 high.

A mountain range, scaled down for a desk.