Page 10 - Christie's Dec 2, 2015 Scholars Rocks, Hong Kong
P. 10
Beyond White Clouds –
A Collection of Scholar’s Rocks
Robert D. Mowry 毛瑞
Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art Emeritus, Harvard Art Museums,
and Senior Consultant, Christie’s
Chinese scholar’s rocks might be characterized In the late 19th and early 20th century, Japanese
as favored stones that the Chinese literati art dealers imported numerous works of art, both
文人 and their followers displayed and ancient and modern, from China, principally via
appreciated indoors, in the rarefied atmosphere Shanghai. As Shen Kuiyi 沈揆一 has demonstrated,
of their studios 文房 .1 First collected during the many Japanese dealers traveled to Shanghai during
late Tang (618–907) and early Song (960–1279) that period in order to acquire works for their
periods, such rocks have held continuing appeal for galleries, just as a number of contemporaneous
Chinese collectors for more than a thousand years— Chinese painters traveled to Japan.3 That era thus
through the later dynastic era comprising the Yuan witnessed significant artistic and cultural exchange
(1279–1368), Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1644–1911) between China and Japan.
periods, and into contemporary times.2
The small, finely crafted objects of sea-green
Assembled mainly from Japanese sources, the nephrite recovered from Chinese tombs of the
present collection reflects the tradition of Chinese Neolithic (c. 7th millennium BC–c. 17th century
scholar’s rocks as understood by Japanese BC) and Shang (c. 17th century BC–c. 1030 BC)
connoisseurs. Some of the rocks previously belonged periods evince an early interest in fine stones.4 The
to Chinese collectors—a Lingbi stone, (Lot 3005), for Chinese had begun to embellish their gardens with
example, once graced the collection of celebrated rocks by the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), and
painter Gao Fenghan 高鳳翰 (1683–1749)—and some connoisseurs had recognized the special aesthetic
were formerly owned by Japanese painters who and spiritual qualities of rocks at least by the Tang
worked in a Sino-Japanese mode, such as (Lot 3016), dynasty.5 In the Song dynasty, Mi Fu 米芾 (1051–1107)
which once belonged to Yamamoto Baiitsu 山本梅逸 and others composed essays on rocks, and Du Wan
(1783–1856). 杜綰 (12th century) compiled the first comprehensive
catalogue of stones, Yunlin shipu 雲林石譜 6, attesting
Learned Japanese, like the Chinese, placed prized to the growing appreciation of fine stones.
stones in their gardens and also displayed cherished
stones indoors. In creating paintings and in collecting Apart from gemstones (baoshi 寶石 ) and inkstones
rocks, the Japanese followed Chinese models in (yantai 硯臺 ) and aside from rocks collected as
certain periods, while embracing native Japanese souvenirs at sacred mountains and famous scenic
styles in others. Collected rocks in Chinese style and historical spots (mingsheng qishi 名勝奇石 )—
typically sport hollows, perforations, and textured and, of course, excepting jade, or yu 玉 , which, as
surfaces, while those in Japanese style often display the quintessential Chinese medium, claims its own
smooth surfaces and solid forms that suggest Mount artistic lineage—the two basic categories of rocks
Fuji 富士山 . traditionally collected in China are garden rocks and
scholar’s rocks.7 Prior to the 20th century, collectors
8 BEYOND WHITE CLOUDS 出雲疊嶂 — 文人案頭賞石
