Chinese Scholar Rock Lingbi Stone on Display Stand

A tall Chinese scholar stone (also known as Gong Shi in Chinese; meditation stone and spirit rock in the West) of significant weight and volume is gracefully balanced on the wood display stand. The dark stone, with pronounced wrinkled surface textures, is of the Lingbi type, one of the four famous ancient stones from China. A limestone in essence, Lingbi is originated and collected from Lingbi, Anhui Province.
Formed in nature, selected by human, this impressive stone features a vertical irregular form that is well-balanced and gravity-defying. Weighty but somehow manages to appear light and elegant, the stone has an extraordinarily weathered surface showcasing the characteristic found typical in Lingbi stone, such as furrows and folds with occasional incurred mineral deposits of light color and oddly smooth surface part (such as the back of the stone in this case). There is a sky window present the top part, a character desired by the collectors. The otherworldly shape and surface features invite the viewer to meditate and imagine. The stone is fitted on a custom carved wood stand for display. The stone itself measures about 20.5 inches in height and is quite heavy.
Scholar stones are priced by the collectors for their four qualities: shou (thinness), zhou (wrinkles), lou (hollowness), and tou (transparency). The history of collecting and appreciating interesting stones among the literati in China began as early as the 13th century in Yuan Dynasty, and it continued to this day. These stones were highly priced for their form and shape, which were considered containing the spirit of nature. They were displayed in the scholar's studio for meditation.
Reference: For similar examples of Lingbi Stone, see Spirit Stones The Ancient Art of the Scholar's Rock by Kemin Hu and Thomas S. Elias.