Chinese Stone Half Trough

The tooling turns zigzag partway down, as if the carver got a second wind.

This half trough comes from Shandong Province, China, and dates to the early 17th century. It is stone. Stone troughs were a common fixture of rural Chinese households, generally used for water or feed and cut from one solid block. Here the curved front is covered with fine chevron tooling that settles into zigzag bands toward the base. The rim is broad and gently rounded, and the stone has weathered to a warm peach with darker patches. It is 33.5 inches wide and 19.5 high.

Low, wide and in no hurry at all.