HUGH MOSS (b.1943) Realizing the Self in the Stone (One of the Five Strange Stones of the Neidan Alchemist), 2005HUGH MOSS (b.1943)Realizing the Self in the Stone (One of the Five Strange Stones of the Neidan Alchemist), 2005Ink and colours on cloud-dragon paper mounted on xuan paper, with three seals of the artist. 137cm long x 68cm (54in long x 26 3/4in wide).The artist requests that the present lot be sold without reserve. 藝術家要求本拍品不設底價Hugh Moss (1943年生) 內丹煉丹師的五奇石之一 紙本設色 立軸 2005年作Inscription: Perhaps the strangest and most exciting of the five stones I found on my second visit to the gorge-side retreat in the Mountains of Shu of the Neidan Alchemist seemed to depict him as part of the stone gazing intently at a matching form above him. It was so compelling that in making a root stand for it I decided to elevate it to a greater height than normal balance would dictate. The image was somewhat unsettling so I also placed it in an unsettling manner. Alchemists appreciate strange transformations. Inscribed by the Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat at the Garden at the Edge of the Universe in the autumn, 2015Hugh Moss, also known as the Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat occupies a unique position as both a highly respected dealer of Chinese art and a master of the literati tradition of ink painting. The present lot depicts a scholar's rock and exhibits the artist's deep understanding of literati culture and rock appreciation. Throughout the centuries both emperors and the scholar-elite have considered the rocks' unusual forms worthy of contemplation in both an exterior garden setting as well as inside the home. Enjoyed for their dynamic shapes that could be judged with similar criteria used for calligraphy — traditionally the highest art form in China - or appreciated for their resemblance to lofty mountains or coiled dragons, fantastic rocks (guaishi) were prized for their abstract qualities as well as their inspiration for imagination. The present lot is unique in that the calligraphy is in English, although at first glance, it may perhaps look like cursive caoshu calligraphy.