The Ancient Art of Scholars’ Rocks

During this lecture Kemin Hu, one of the foremost experts on Scholars’ rocks, will discuss the philosophy, types, and connoisseurship of these special stones, as well as their reception in the Western world. Kemin Hu gained appreciation of Scholars’ stones through her father, a noted connoisseur of Chinese antiquities. She has become a recognized authority on Scholars’ rocks through her long career as a dealer, collector and author, educating the world on these unique objects. Kemin Hu’s personal collection of Scholars’ stones is one of the finest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world. It is the result of a lifetime of collection based on stringent, high-level criteria. Considering both the care taken to assemble this collection and the demand among collectors for high-quality stones in modern China, it would be impossible to duplicate it today. Kemin Hu is the author of several books on the subject, including Modern Chinese Scholars’ Rocks, Scholars’ Rocks in Ancient China: the Suyuan Stone Catalogue, The Spirit of Gongshi and The Romance of Scholars’ Stones and Spirit Stones: The Ancient Art of the Scholar’s Rocks.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Muscarelle Museum of Art and the William & Mary Confucius Institute held in conjunction with the current exhibition, The Bones of the Earth: Scholars’ Rocks and the Natural World in Chinese Culture, Selections from the Robert Turvene Collection.

A reception will follow the lecture.

Parking is available in the Jamestown and Phi Beta Kappa lot adjacent to the Museum.

For more information, please contact Abigail Bradford at museum@wm.edu or 757.221.2731.

The event will also be broadcast on Facebook Live starting at 6 PM for those joining us at home.