Chinese Scholar's Rock

A stone with a single hole for an eye and a beak pointed into the wind.

This scholar's rock comes from Yunnan Province, China, and is stone and hardwood. Scholar's rocks, or gongshi, have been collected in China for over a thousand years, chosen for shapes that suggest mountains, creatures or the movement of water. This one is a flat, upright slab of sandy ochre stone. A pierced hole near the top and a jutting point at left suggest a bird's head. Below, curved notches open the edge like a crescent. It rests in a fitted dark hardwood stand. It is 8 inches wide, 4.5 deep and 9 high.

Nature carved it. A scholar saw a bird. Both are right.