Stone of the Month: July 2018"Gateway"
The small arch way in the large rugged stone has special appeal to many Chinese stone collectors. When linked to Chinese mythology and ancient beliefs, passageways like this one can represent a passage to another life. When portals like this are found high in the mountains, they may have been considered as a gateway to heaven. This along with its other features—wrinkles, thinness, and channels—all contribute to making this an excellent stone. It is 35.6 cm (14 inches) wide, 32 cm (12.5 inches) high and 11.4 cm (4.5 inches) deep.
The Baoshan Wen stones from the Baoshan Mountains in Shangdong province are one of the oldest types of viewing stones in Chinese stone culture, dating back to the late Han, Tang, and Song dynasties. They are dug from soils where flowing ground water has sculpted these limestone rocks for millennia. They are typically black to dark brown, sometimes with white veins. The surface texture is typically rough with horizontal and vertical grooves that form a net-like or bark-like appearance. The wrinkled appearance gives the stones a feeling of oldness. These stones are mainly oriented as landscape scenes, although smaller ones may resemble real or mythical figures.
