Cleveland Museum of Art

Taihu Garden Stone

Date

0

Medium

Limestone

Culture

China, Jiangsu province, Wuxi

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In China, rocks are considered elements of nature that possess spirit and life energy. With its upward winding masses, perforations, weathered surface, and multiple viewpoints, the stone exhibits sculptural qualities and embodies constant transformation through natural forces and human intervention. A solid piece of rock, it was originally sourced from the Lake Tai region. Stones were collected, set up in gardens, or installed on scholar’s desks as miniature mountains. Traditionally, Taihu stones were the most desirable type of rock. This stone is a gift by the contemporary artist Liu Dan, known for his depictions of rocks, who calls them "the stem cells of Chinese landscape." The donor, Liu Dan, is the most prominent and celebrated painter of rocks in contemporary China.

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