Stone of the Month: May 2012 "Mountains All in Sight" Wen Stone
by Kemin Hu
“Mountains All in Sight” is a literal translation of “Yi Lan Zhong Shan Xiao,” a well known line from a poem by Du Fu (712-772) in the Tang Dynasty. The line originally means that if one stands at the top of the highest mountain, the other mountains would turn smaller in his view. It is always used figuratively to refer to someone who aspires high. I have used this line as the name of this stone because the stone looks like a flying bird hovering high above the earth. Most f the ancient stones resemble natural scenic spots in shape, but only a few are pictographic, and even fewer are like this one: dynamic, natural, and vivid. What’s more, this stone boasts dramatic tendency in shape. While most of the stones in the shape of a bird need a wooden base to enhance its dynamic feelings, this one is exceptional, having both wings widely extended, and a long and slim lower body that gives the impression that the bird is soaring into the sky.
Scholars’ Rocks can either exhibit what are often ancient implications or modern feelings, and what are sometimes dynamic moments or static meditation. When most such stones give the viewer a sense of tranquility, a rare few like this one offer a sense of movement and excitement.
This Wen stone is 46 x 42 x 28 cm, and has an abundance of veins on the surface, with crisscross dots and strokes all over. It boasts dramatic changes in shape and is covered with thick natural patina, simple but vigorous. It can be viewed from all sides and produces resonant upon striking.
This stone has a base carved out of another stone and the traces of carving are almost invisible until one looks at its bottom.
