T'ien-huang stone beast paperweight, Smoky quartz brush holder

T'ien-huang stone beast paperweight

Smoky quartz brush holder

Generally speaking, the Ch'ing dynasty emperors were quite cultivated and expressed great fondness for curios and objects of the scholar's studio. In order to meet the refined taste and demands of the imperial clan, craftsmen utilized many semi-precious materials, accommodating the unique forms and characteristics of such to create exquisite curios and studio objects. These two objects from the Museum collection are fine examples of such.

T'ien-huang ("field yellow") stone is one of the most famous and valuable kinds of the mineral monazite from Shou-shan. Its texture and yellow color are said to be linked with the spirits, being lustrous and sparkling to the eye as well. This paperweight in the form of a mystical beast is quite lifelike, for even its fine pores can be seen, making it extremely vivid. In carving the brush holder in smoky quartz, specks of white in the material were adapted into the pistils of plum blossoms. Circular forms were carved on the outside to indicate petals, imparting the animated engravings of plum blossoms an originality all their own.