A DARK GREY ‘LINGBI’ ‘AMASSED KINGFISHER BLUE-GREEN’ SCHOLAR’S ROCK

QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

LENGTH: 38.5CM

The resonant metallic lingbi stone has a horizontally-oriented dynamic composition formed from cresting cliffs and overhang around a cavernous central section with elliptical cavities and craggy protrusions. The lustrous rock has a characteristic wrinkled surface and is of a dark grey tone accentuated by white veining. The reverse of the rock is etched with two characters reading Jicui 積翠 (“Amassed Kingfisher Blue-Green’’) and signed Yuan Mei 袁枚 (1716-1797). The rock rests on a double-tiered Suzhou-type hongmu stand.

PROVENANCE
A Taiwanese Private Collection
Yuan Mei 袁枚 (1716-1797), a native of Zhejiang, was a poet, literati and food critic in the Qing dynasty.