Extraordinary Chinese Scholar Ying Stone on Stand with Collector Seal

On offer is a vertical Chinese scholar rock balanced on a carved wood display stand. The specimen is a wonderful example of Ying (or Yingde) stone, one of the four famed stone types known to Chinese literati and a less common type than Lingbi or Taihu. Gray in color, it has an extraordinary upright form rising from a small stem, like an "Avatar Mountain" peeking out of the mist. Visually it feels impossible for the stone to balance on its thin stem and the wood base. The illusion is due to the thickness of the depth which is not immediately visible from front or back. This type of exotic form was highly desired by the collector. The surface is remarkable with pronounced schisms, gullies, folding lines, with several formation of openings that give it a grotto and airy feel. Different sceneries are revealed when viewed from different angles, making this one of the most intriguing stones in Tishu Gallery's collection. There is a carved seal under the base indicating the collector's (collection) name 'The seal of Xu Wei of Wu Clan". Although there was a poet named Xu Wei in Ming Dynasty, we couldn't be sure because it was a common Chinese name. The stone is possbly to be dated to 19th century of Qing dynasty.
Yingde stone was harvested from Guangdong province in Southern China, one of the four famous types of Chinese viewing stones (also known as Gongshi, meditation stone or spirit stone). Yingde stone is priced for its wrinkled surface full of furrows and gullies and sculptural form that tends to be thin and slender, the stone best embodies the concepts of Shou (thinness) and Zhou (wrinkles), which are cherished by the collectors as it evokes the ideal of a mountainous landscape. The highly priced scholar rocks have long been revered by Chinese literati dating back to Tang/Song Dynasty. Formed through geologic processes, these rocks beguile connoisseurs with their dynamic form and the interplay of positive and negative space. The exodus of energy and enigma is mediated upon and interpreted by the individual viewer. More than decorative, the stones reflect a cultivated endeavor to contain the nature in one's study and mind.
For two Yingde stones, see illustrations on 90 and 92 in the book " Spirit Stone: The Ancient Art of the Scholar's Rock by Kemin Hu and Thomas S. Elias".