China’s Dreamstones: an ancient art form still practiced in China today
Category: SFA Blog
Dreaming of Dreamstones…
China’s extraordinary natural stone paintings
Nature depicts nature shrouded in splendid mystery….like a heavenly dream.
In southwestern China’s Yunnan Province lay Dali Prefecture and the Cangshan Mountains- home to special natural stones of uncommon beauty. Coveted by Tang and Song emperors and empresses, favored by scholars and collectors since ancient past and pursued by European connoisseurs, these precious marbles have been described by poetic literati as glistening, marvelous, and picturesque!
Collectors have revered landscape stone paintings “Shi-hua” for centuries, particularly since the Ming dynasty when Dali marble became a favored asset. In the west, the French took particular fancy to these beautiful works of art naming them “pierres de reve”.
Dali landscape stones are prime examples of a favored historical theme: “nature depicts nature”….esteemed for scholarly contemplation.
The soul and rhyme of Dali marble are precisely the psychological recordings and cultural projections of its creators and viewers. We wholeheartedly praise the beauty of Dali marble for it’s limitless essence of nature and praise it’s mystery because it has embodied the piercing insights of noble scholars and poets.
After considerable external scrutiny, each selected marble slab that was hand cut from deep mountain cave mines, is carefully cut into thin slabs by experienced craftspeople, members of China’s Bai Minority Group who have practiced this art for over four generations, in hopes that it’s inner bounds reveal a palette and pattern of uncompromising natural beauty. If a cutter is lucky, these efforts may be rewarded by a precious dream stone slice of exquisite beauty and a unique work of art is born. Natural inclusions found suggest heavenly landscapes: misty mountains, lofty peaks and meandering riverbeds. Well observed patterns known in Chinese as “Caihu” (colored flowers), “Yunhui” (grey clouds) and “Baishi (white jade) describe valued contents.
Today most Dali marble mines have been closed by the government because of environmental and other regulatory issues. Extraction and transportation is arduous and access is extremely limited to a handful of dedicated generations old Bai workers and “donkey” caravans. It may be a matter of a few short years before access to these mines is completely terminated. Savvy collectors that acquire attractive examples of stone paintings today will likely see their asset grow in value in the future much like the Tang and Ming emperors experienced hundreds of years ago.
See these amazing works of nature and man, available at our current exhibition in Maine, and on our website by clicking on on this DREAMSTONE LINK: DREAMSTONEPUBLICATION or directly from: Schneible Fine Arts, 837 bay road, shelburne, Vermont 05482 USA, Telephone: (802) 279-7601. Get more information about our gallery on line by clicking: