Page 60 - Christie's Dec 2, 2015 Scholars Rocks, Hong Kong

3010

A ‘CALICO’ LINGBI SCHOLAR’S ROCK

QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

The powerfully wrought rock of an irregular vertical orientation
stands on a single narrow point. It is covered overall with dramatic
crevices, sharp ridges and jagged protrusions, accentuating the
concave sides and pitted surface of the stone. It is further pierced
with several perforations of various sizes resembling secluded cave
dwellings. The resonant stone is variegated in colour, predominantly
of a blackish-grey tone throughout and highlighted by pale brown,
white and russet colours disposed as both veins and inclusions.
17æ in. (45 cm.) high, wood stand

HK$600,000-800,000 US$78,000-100,000

Lingbi rocks of variegated colours are generally referred to as wucai (five-
colours) in Chinese and ‘calico’ in English. As can be seen on the present
rock, ‘calico’ Lingbi stones are usually of a terracotta colour infused with
grey, white, black and sometimes pinkish-orange striations. They share
the same origin as the more commonly seen black and grey Lingbi stones
from Anhui region, though there has been speculation that the terracotta
colour derives from remains of external orange-buff stones attached to the
older black Lingbi stones.

A ‘calico’ Lingbi rock with large perforations was exhibited in Worlds
Within Worlds: The Richard Rosenblum Collection of Chinese Scholars’
Rocks, Asia Society, New York, 1996 - 1999, catalogue, pl. 28. In
the catalogue entry, Robert Mowry remarks that ‘fine calico stones
from Lingbi are as rare today as they are little remarked upon in the
traditional literature’.

清 靈璧石「五彩寰幻」賞石

靈璧石多見黑灰色，也有紅、白、褐、五彩等色，其中五彩靈璧石傳世量稀少，
非常珍貴。所謂五彩靈璧石，即指石泛淺褐、夾以黑、白、灰、或紅等雜色，形
成繽紛多變的表面，其產地同樣來自安徽靈璧縣。有說其橘紅紋理源自靈璧深坑
內其他石頭的黏染，但有待考證，未能定論。

美國藏家Richard Rosenblum藏一件鑿有大透洞的五彩靈璧石，1996年展覽於
紐約亞洲協會《Worlds Within Worlds: The Richard Rosenblum Collection of
Chinese Scholars’ Rocks》，圖錄圖版28號。

58 BEYOND WHITE CLOUDS 出雲疊嶂 — 文人案頭賞石