The renowned Chinese tradition of stone collecting and connoisseurship dates from the 3rd century BCE, when stones were placed in imperial gardens, and gongshí (scholar’s rocks) have been collected and displayed by the literati (usually retired officials) since the 10th century Song Dynasty. Scholar’s rocks were venerated as microcosms of heaven and earth, and valued as concentrations of qi, the breathing energy of the cosmos, beneficial to body, mind, and spirit.

As seen here, scholar’s rocks now circulate as powerful entities in the very different force fields of the international art world. The prices that the scholar’s rocks command at auction reflect the renewed interest in artifacts of traditional Chinese culture in both China and the west. This culture, suppressed and often destroyed during the communist revolution, is now a valued part of China’s public face and part of a growing economy, and the mining and marketing of viewing stones is big, government-sponsored and -regulated business.

The prices the stones command (mid-to-low on the art market) classify the stones as artworks rather than exotic curiosities. The capriciousness of the art market is suggested by the composition’s floating pages, as we witness a connoisseur’s collection being scattered across the world, like leaves blowing in the wind.