An extremely rare 'Tang Ying' stone imitation 'Lingbi' scholar's rock Qing Dynasty, 18th Century

the metallic black-glazed porcelain imitating a horizontal 'Lingbi' scholar's rock with pitted surface, protrusions, perforations, and metallic resonance, impressed with a Tang Ying seal mark reading zhen tao ya wan ('Making elegant playthings out of pottery'), wooden stand

The overall condition is very good, with only some minor wear to the glaze.
"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 seemingly endless creative ingenuity of Tang Ying, Superintendent at the Imperial Kilns in Jingdezhen, is evident in this amazing tour de force of porcelain production in its remarkably naturalistic form and glaze. With the development of potting techniques and the Qianlong emperor's increasing taste for the novel, the simulation of wood, lacquer, metal and stone in porcelain became popular. In a stunning display of acute observation, both of the organic scholar's rocks and of the characteristics of porcelain clay and enamels, Tang Ying has recreated the timelessness and organic nature treasured in scholar's rocks in this piece. A comparable example imitating a sand-coloured scholar's rock is held in the Palace Museum, Beijing.

A simulation scholar's rock covered with a Guan-type glaze, impressed with the hallmark Shen de tang zhi (Made for the Hall for the Cultivation of Virtue), was sold in our London rooms, 10^th November 2010, lot 299; another unmarked example was sold in our Los Angeles rooms, 8^th June 1981, lot 359; and two robin's-egg glazed examples of similar naturalistic craggy form were sold, one in our London rooms, 7^th June 1988, lot 329, and the other, from the Warren Cox collection, at Christie's New York, 2^nd December 1989, lot 336. Compare also a model of a lingzhi fungus cluster covered with a Guan-type glaze, with a Yongzheng sealmark in underglaze blue and of the period, from the collection of W.W. Winkworth, sold in our London rooms, 12^th December 1972, lot 169, and again at Christie's New York, 29^th November 1990, lot 211.

The appreciation of scholar's rocks is deeply imbedded in Daoism and Zen Buddhism, and was an essential component of the literati's study or garden as a means of transporting themselves out of the restrictions and rituals of daily life into the calm and wisdom of nature.