Chinese Gongshi or Scholar's Rock, Based

A green summit on a brown mountain, as if the snow had come down in jade.

This gongshi, or scholar's rock, comes from Liaoliang, China, and is jade and stone, shown on a base. Chinese scholars have long kept natural stones on their desks as miniature mountains, valued for shape, texture and the landscapes they suggest. A peak of translucent green jade streaked with rust caps a rough, fissured body of tawny brown stone. The surfaces shift from glassy to granular within inches. It sits in a dark fitted stand studded with small round bosses, on four low feet. It is 14 inches wide and 21 high.

A whole mountain range, conveniently sized for a desk.