"Hawk on a Peak" Milky Taihu Scholars' Rock on Zitan Mount

It's not a stretch for the imagination to turn this milky stone from Lake Tai, named "Hawk on a Peak," into a bold bird perched on a rock, peering out from a mountaintop. Stones like this, thousands of years old and prized for hundreds of years by Chinese artists and calligraphers as sources of inspiration, are known as scholars' rocks. The artist cherished its muse; these rocks were often named after nature and the scenes they conjured up for their owners. The unique shape of this limestone-like formation calls for contemplation as changes in perspective or shifting light offer new forms to appreciate. The carved base of zitan, a rare and precious extinct hardwood, complements the powerful beauty of this very sculptural stone.