Yingde Stone on Rosewood Base; PRIMITIVE I.D. #A1506-058

You Create the Story!

Why is one work of art more attractive, appealing, or compelling than another? What causes a work of art to be declared a masterpiece while another is barely noticed, eventually falling into obscurity? What market forces conspire to price a work of art at a million dollars while another is valued at zero? If there were easy answers to these questions the art world would be filled with people lining their pockets and being an art dealer would be considered an easy path to becoming a millionaire. Yet, of all the factors affecting a work of art none is more important than the artist responsible for its creation; and no artist has been more famous, celebrated, or long-lived than the creator of this week’s New Arrival.

This week’s New Arrival features a Yingde Stone Gongshi or Scholar’s Rock from Guangdong Province in South China. Look closely; there is no signature. The artist known as nature does not hold a hammer or chisel, yet forces under her control produced this sculpture over the course of countless human lifetimes. Connoisseurs and collectors value this type of art because of its capacity to excite the imagination. Some might even argue this particular piece has consciousness. After all, the slim body looks draped in a robe, the head tilted forward in thought, the arm upraised, stroking a chin or beard. Nature is too modest to demand authorship. She asks only that we contemplate her creations.