Stone of the Month: February 2012 Lingbi Stone from Anhui Province
Our inaugural selection was a small, natural Lingbi stone from Anhui Province. It is a black irregularly shaped stone measuring 20 x 12 x 8 cm with a centrally located, prominent oval hole. As a result of this, the stone creates an image of two kissing birds.
Lingbi stones are typically medium to large-sized stones and one of the four classical stones appreciated by scholars and other literati in China for hundreds of years. These stones vary in color from black and gray, red and yellow, and even white. Many of the Lingbi stone resonate when struck lightly with a small metal object, and have been used historically as musical instruments. Some Lingbi stones are so large they are often used as garden or landscape stones. Small, high quality Lingbi stones such as this one are rare. These stones are excavated from shallow surface mines in Lingbi county in Anhui province. They are from a lens of ancient limestone, heavily eroded by ground water to form their characteristic irregular shapes.
