Carved Minerals
Rock Crystal Mountain
$2,100
- Material
- Rock crystal (quartz)
- Era
- 20th century
- Dimensions
- H 22 cm × W 18 cm
- Origin
- China
Catalog note
Catalog note. Material: single mass of rock crystal (quartz); natural inclusions — veils and micro-fractures — retained as mist and water rather than polished out. Form: three principal peaks with suggested path and cave, in the continuum of Chinese miniature mountain carving that also includes jade and soapstone. Technique: cool to the hand; the piece throws light rather than absorbing it — a deliberate contrast to nephrite’s waxen quiet. Dating rationale: crystal mountains of this type proliferate in the 20th century for studio and export display; carving quality and inclusion handling here support a 20th-century dating without claiming a named workshop. Cultural context: crystal extends the scholar’s mountain metaphor into transparency — “lantern landscape” when shown against a dark wall. Exhibition: backlight carefully; avoid heat lamps.
Unique object. Packed as a work of art. Square hosted checkout.
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