NAVIGATION

The Chinese scholar for their rock like sculptural qualities prizes unique forms shaped by nature. This gnarled and knobby root brush pot is probably from the root of a briar or perhaps a huge wisteria. It has not been carved or enhanced other than the smoothing of the top and bottom and the hacking out of the inside which has then been carefully coated in black lacquer. The natural clusters of root nodules and lumps combine with the strong flowing forms to suggest a fantastic landscape with outcrops of rock projecting at all angles. Obviously treasured, this rock-like sculpture would have been judged by the same standards as those for scholar’s rocks except that this object is both sculptural and functional.