Chinese Gongshi or Scholar's Rock with Knot-hole Motif, Based

A round knot in the stone sits at the center like a target hit dead on.

This gongshi or scholar's rock with knot-hole motif comes from Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, China, and is Yangtze River stone, presented on a base. River stones shaped by current and sand have long been prized in China for patterns that suggest the forces of nature at work. This stone is a rough, rounded disk in sandy tan. A smooth raised dome at its center is ringed by a sunken groove, like the knot in a tree or the eye of a whirlpool. The surface around it is pitted. It sits on a tall dark block stand. It is 4.25 inches high and 4.75 in diameter.

The river did the carving. Someone simply noticed.