A rock that gives the feeling of oldness is valued in traditional Chinese and Japanese viewing stone practices. This impression of antiquity or oldness refers to the time a stone has been in the hands of a collector or series of collectors—not to its geological age. During this ex-situ time, a stone often develops a patina and a record of its display at different exhibitions over many decades. This adds meaning to the stone. A newly collected stone can have a fresh look. Some collectors think that a newly collected stone must be cultivated through a Japanese practice known as Yoseki or leaving a stone outdoors, exposed to the elements, to develop a patina.

The practice of combining an aged-looking stone with a base that appears new is a concept I do not fully understand. The contrast between a beautifully made base with several coats of clear lacquer or comparable material that has been polished and an old appearing stone is sometime striking. This is especially the case in some Chinese stones that are held in more elaborate bases finished with several coats of thick colored lacquer. I see hundreds of attractive bases that appear new in markets, but where are bases made to have an aged look to reenforce the impression of oldness? Why are they missing? Why do base carvers produce only new-looking bases?

I noticed an unusual stone and base in a shop in Changzhou, China, about fifteen years ago. It was a flattened Dahua stone from the Hongshui River" in Guangxi province in southern China. It was resting in a base that was carved to resemble the lower part of a turtle including its head. The feature that distinguished this display from all other stone displays in the shop was that the base was deliberately made to look old. It had man-made scuff marks, scratches, and worn areas. This display reinforced the long-held belief that turtle or tortoises represented longevity, strength, and endurance in China. These animals are sacred and turtle ponds are often seen in Buddhist temples.

This is not an old display that has passed from one collector to another over many years; it cannot be attributed to the Qing dynasty or earlier. Dahua viewing stones were first introduced in the Liuzhou stone market in 1997 as part of the rapidly expanding modern revival of interest in Chinese stone appreciation that began in the late 1970s. Dahua stones were excavated from the depths of the Hongshu River. They have a rich golden-brown color with various streaks of black, red or gray.



I thought that this base complemented the stone perfectly and contributed to the feeling of oldness in this display. Because of this, I asked myself the question, why don’t we make more bases like this? Why don’t wood carvers use old fence posts, beams from structures being torn down, and other recycled lumber to obtain an older appearing base?