Chinese Scholar's Rock

Honey colored, streaked with rust, and leaning like a figure at rest.

This scholar's rock comes from Guangxi, China, in yellow wax stone set on a hardwood stand. Chinese scholars traditionally kept stones like this on their desks as miniature mountains for contemplation, prizing them for shape, texture and the play of natural markings. This one rises in a tall rounded peak with a low shoulder at its base, its warm yellow surface veined with darker red-brown streaks and fine cracks. The carved stand below is a tangle of clouds and scrolling curls, pierced through in places. It is 4.25 inches wide, 2.25 deep and 8 high.

A mountain that fits on a desk and never needs dusting twice.