A LINGBI SCHOLAR'S ROCK Probably Qing Dynasty Short and narrow, the grey-black stone densely striated to form a sharp and craggy exterior, wood stand. 22.8cm (9in) long. (2). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 或清 靈璧賞石 The collecting and connoisseurship of extraordinary-shaped rocks has a long and compelling history in Chinese aesthetic culture. Throughout the centuries, both the emperors and the scholar-elite have considered the rocks' unusual forms worthy of contemplation in both an exterior garden setting as well as inside the home. Enjoyed for their dynamic shapes that could be judged with similar criteria used for calligraphy, traditionally the highest art form in China, or appreciated for their resemblance to lofty mountains or coiled dragons, fantastic rocks (guaishi) were prized for their abstract qualities as well as their inspiration for imagination. Some of the most prized examples came from Lingbi, in Northern Anhui Province; which many of the largest ones were dredged as deeply-hollowed fantastic shapes from Lake Tai, and used in famous 'landscape' gardens at Suzhou and elsewhere. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com