A WHITE SCHOLAR'S ROCK QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the natural sheared cliffs with chalky white texture and buff tones, carved on the side with a small seal Baiyi hanfang zhencang ('Precious Collection of the One-Hundred-and-one Mountain Retreat'), the hongmu stand inscribed on the base with a poem by Hengyun Shamin, together with an ink painting on paper by the Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat, with three seals of the artist

Sun Shiyi (1720-1796), by repute.
Zhang Xicheng (1901-1962), by repute.

Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 76.

The overall condition is very good. The sides are stable with no new areas of shearing, flakes or chips.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present cragstone, in the form of a towering cliff, bears the seal Baiyi shanfang zhencang which translates as 'Precious Collection of the One-hundred-and-one Mountain Retreat'. According to the study of Professor Stuart Sargent of Stanford University, California, the most likely person to have added this seal is Sun Shiyi (1720-1796), a native of Renhe (present day Hangzhou). Sun, born into poverty, distinguished himself by becoming a juren in 1759 and obtaining his jinshi degree in 1761. He pursued a distinguished military and political career and was appointed Viceroy to two of the eight regions, Liangguang between 1786-1789 and Liangjiang between 1790-1791.  He remained a diligent and frugal officer throughout his career, and was certainly less corrupt than many of the high officials of his day. Sun was also an accomplished calligrapher and poet, with his collection titled Baiyi shanfang shiji ('Poetry Collection of the One-hundred-and-one Mountain Retreat') printed in 1816, by his grandson Sun Jun. It is possible that Sun Shiyi added the present cragstone to his collection while serving in the mountainous region of southwest China. The Qing bai lei chao Xuan lu ('Minor Affairs of the Qing Dynasty') compiled by Xu Ke (1869-1928) records that 'Yunnan produces patterned stones. In the genyin year of Qianlong's reign (equivalent to 1770), when Sun Shyi was overseeing education in Guizhou, he obtained a hundred of the finest ones and built a bamboo house, providing water basins to nourish the stones. He called this the 'Baiyi Shanfang.' Sun possibly added his seal to the stone between 1770, when he adopted the studio name, and 1796, when he died.

The inscription on the stand, that is carved to represent naturally gnarled wood, translates as 'On the winter's day of the genyin year, for my old friend Elou on his 60th birthday. I respectfully use this stone to celebrate his birthday and to wish him many years to come, inscribing these few words to serve as a permanent record.' Recorded by 'Hengyun Shanmin (Commoner in the mountain where the clouds stretch across)'. The studio name Hengyun Shanmin was used by a number of artists and collectors, making it difficult to pinpoint with surety the owner of the present rock sculpture after Sun. However, there was a prominent collector and publisher of seals, a man of considerable wealth called Zhang Xicheng (1901-1962) who used the studio name Hengyun Shanmin and is a likely candidate to have owned the piece and had given it to his old friend Elou in the winter of 1950. Zhang was close to 50 years old at the time, so calling his friend 'old' would be appropriate considering his own age.