Enhancing the Stone: The Chinese Tradition Part IDetailed Review of Enhancing Stones in China
By Thomas S. Elias, April, 2020
The collection and appreciation of unusual and beautiful rocks is an ancient Chinese tradition dating back at least 2,000 years. They ranged from the use of large, often irregular-shaped rocks dug from the earth or removed from lakes and placed in courtyard landscapes to smaller stones that could be displayed indoors to small ones that could be carried in coat sleeves. The affinity for stones may have been Influenced by Buddhist and Taoist teachings that taught the Chinese to have a reverence for nature and a desire to live in harmony with nature. Enhancing a stone was viewed as improving upon nature as well as making the stone more suitable for display. Based upon written records, both natural and enhanced stones were included in the suite of rocks valued for their aesthetic qualities.
Edward Schafer’s Tu Wan’s Catalogue of Cloudy Forest
is one the first and most important sources of information about the altering of rocks to improve their appearance in ancient times. This was the first book about Chinese stones that were appreciated solely for their aesthetic features. It was published between 1126 and 1130 AD. Tu Wan’s book described several methods of cleaning and modifying stones. This work noted that some stones could be easily cleaned by washing them. But other stones had to be severely brushed to remove clay from the surface and crevices. Schafer noted that Lingbi stones were scraped with iron blades and then brushed with bamboo or other plants that had been dipped in magnetite. This is one of the earliest records of how stones were cleaned prior to their use as aesthetic objects.
Schafer concluded that, “Twelfth-century connoisseurs seem not to have put a premium on ‘natural’ stones”
because of repeated descriptions of worked stones in this ancient publication. Raw garden stones were rarely ready for use in the landscape. Instead, they had to be cut on the bottom to achieve a relatively flat surface for better stability. Tu Wan’s book described the use of chisels, gouges, mills, and grinders used in altering stones. He specifically described the use of powdered steatite to obtain a high gloss to the surface appearance. Shafer surmises that abrasives such as quartz sand and garnet were used to improve surface appearance.
The Catalogue of Cloudy Forest
described how aesthetically imperfect stones were improved by cementing suitable fragments to larger stones. Unrelated minerals were sometimes added to larger stones to suggest the appearance of clouds or mist. Schafer revealed that it was important at this time for stones to appear old after they have been shaped and polished. To achieve this appearance, freshly worked stones were placed back into the lake long enough to achieve the desired appearance. The present-day concept of viewing stones having an old or ancient appearance is derived from this source.
Altering the surface color of stones was achieved by the application of waxes, oils, or mineral powders. Exposing porous stones such as calcium carbonate-based stones to thick black smoke is another method of darkening the color of a stone.
By the later Ming dynasty, Wen Zhenheng stated in his book Treatise on Superfluous Things
(ca 1615 to 1620) that the best garden stones, Lingbi and Ying, are extremely valuable and difficult to buy, especially larger specimens. Likewise, the supply of Taihu stones from Lake Tai near Wuxi were being exhausted. Either new sources had to be found to meet the demand for garden stones and for interior viewing stones or a greater number of stones would have to be modified or even manufactured to obtain suitably shaped, textured, and colored stones in the following Qing dynasty. This period, 1644-1911, witnessed an expansion in the types of stones used in Chinese stone appreciation. At this time, pattern stones and more colorful stones, such as chrysanthemum flower stones, came into use. These were stones that mostly had to be worked to make them presentable as viewing stones.
The resurgence of interest in viewing stones that began in the late 1970s in China and continued to the present required a significant source of satisfactory stones to meet the growing demand. As a result, the suite of stones used expanded greatly with more types of river cobbles and stones from throughout the Gobi Desert coming into use. Concurrently, a greater number of lightly to aggressively altered stones entered the market place. In the 1980s and 1990s, Ink Lake or Ink Stones (Mohu shi) were sold throughout China, and then exported to North America and Europe.
These are relatively soft black limestone rocks that are easy to carve and shape. An article in the book The Essence of the Second China Appreciation Stone Exhibition
(1996) describes Mohu shi as “these man-ground pieces in markets.”
We have observed the altering of stones the marketplaces we have visited in China during the last two decades. Moderate-to-aggressive cleaning with tools followed by the application of oils and waxes is one of the most frequently encountered methods. For example, steel brushes are regularly used to clean Lingbi stones. Various types of mineral oils are used by many sellers in marketplaces. Eager sellers who know little about the finer aspects of stone appreciation will apply generous amount of oil with a paint brush to their stones. We typically would carry a small towel with us to clean our hands of oil after touching different stones. More experienced and knowledgeable dealers knew that the stones should appear natural and not show any signs of recent wax or oil applications. Some dealers apply a paste-like mixture of wax and oil to stones followed immediately with a hand held butane burner to melt the wax so that it penetrates further into the stone. Heat also will darken the wax and surface of the stone. We have seen this used on Taihu-type stones in several major markets.
Another method to darken the light- to medium-gray limestone rocks is the use of potassium permanganate. We have observed an aqueous solution of this chemical being applied to larger limestone rocks to obtain a near black color. Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizing agent that will penetrate the surface of softer rocks. This chemical when applied to calcium carbonate-based rock may have a slight purplish black color.
We are also seeing larger numbers of beautiful small distance mountain-shape stones produced in factories in Liuzhou in Guangxi province. These are known as Youlan stones. Striated marble is carved into familiar objects such as bacon for the tourist trade in popular destinations and airport shops. Lingbi stones continued to be partially to completed worked to produce attractive viewing stones. After the supply of Taihu stones was exhausted from Lake Tai, other light color limestone rocks were carved, drilled, and sandblasted to make Taihu-like viewing stones. Today, it is very difficult find a genuine natural Taihu stone that hasn’t been worked to some degree.
It was acceptable for stones to be enhanced to improve upon what nature created. This did not take away from the viewing stone admired for their forms and textures. There was a premium placed on stones that appeared natural and appeared old or ancient. Certainly, there were individuals who preferred completely natural stones to altered ones. Marcus Flacks, in his book Contemplating Stones stated that, “One of the greatest misconceptions in modern times about collecting rocks is that their value is based on them being untouched and natural objects.” He noted that one of the most alluring aspects of scholar’s rocks is the symbiotic artistry of nature and man and the Chinese reverence for nature.
