Chinese Rough-Hewn Trough

Six and a half feet of stone, and someone hollowed out every inch of it.

This rough-hewn stone trough comes from Shandong Province, China, and dates to the 18th century. Stone troughs were a long-standing fixture of Chinese farmyards and courtyards, holding water or feed. Diagonal tool marks cover the inner walls and the outer face, and a raised band runs below the rim. The sandy brown surface looks worn along the lower edge. It measures 78 inches wide, 23 deep and 15 high.

Nobody has ever called it delicate.