A HORIZONTAL ‘LINGBI’ ‘SATURATED BLUE-GREEN STONE’ SCHOLAR’S ROCK

QING DYNASTY (1644-1911), ZHANG ZHAO (1691-1745) MARK

LENGTH: 43CM

The resonant limestone has a horizontal composition with a large, near circular aperture to the centre framed by a dramatic overhang to the right. The top left corner of the stone is etched with two characters reading Hanbi 涵碧 (“Saturated Blue-Green Stone”). The lower left corner is engraved with a signed and dated inscription reading Yongzheng jiachen Zhang Zhao 雍正甲辰張照 (“Jiachen year of Yongzheng [1724]. Zhang Zhao”), followed by a square seal reading Detian 得天. The dark grey stone has a smooth sheen and is suffused with ochre-toned inclusions and white veins. The rock is mounted on a double-tiered Suzhou-style hongmu stand.

PUBLISHED IN
Liu Xirong 劉錫榮, The Rong Studio Collection (III): The Appreciation of Qing Literati Objects 鐘鼎茗香（三）榮齋清供珍賞, Beijing, 2013, p. 230.

PROVENANCE
Zhang Zhao 張照 (1691-1745), also known by his personal name (zi 字) Detian 得天, was a native of Jiangsu. He was a scholar, poet and eminent calligrapher during the Kangxi to Qianlong period.