Speaking of the General Cave, it has always been a fascinating legend of the hibiscus stone. According to relevant literature, the General Cave is located at the top of Mount Galiang, excavated in the early Qing Dynasty, and was originally named "Tianfeng Cave". Later, it was occupied by a general and renamed General Cave, which was mined in large quantities. During the Qianlong period, the mine collapsed, and the General Cave Furong was no longer produced.
Guo Xiangren General Cave Furong Stone PanLongxi Southeast Fujian 2020 Autumn Auction
According to the description in the records, the General Cave Hibiscus is the best quality variety of hibiscus stone. In the Qing Dynasty, Tian Huang, Bai Furong and Changhua Chicken Blood Stone were called "Three Treasures of Yinshi", and Tian Huang and Bai Furong were also called "Shi Emperor" and "Shi Hou", and according to posterity, it was also this kind of hibiscus.
Guo Xiang Renzuo General Cave Furong Stone Xuanwu Suzaku Button Oval Medal Southeast Fujian 2016 Spring Auction Released
The Furong Stone of the General Cave was famous as soon as it came out, and the "Fuzhou Fuzhi" during the Qianlong period recorded: "Shoushan Stone ... The old collectors are not available today, the price is with pearls and jade, etc., and it is rare and excessive. The place of production is tanaka, the mountain, the general cave, etc.", and in the Qing Dynasty Zheng Jie's "Collection of Medicine Furnaces", the content of the "Shoushan Stone Spectrum" is quoted, and it is noted that " ... Furong Cave, second in quality to Khotanese white jade, tender and brittle, the General Cave is on top. ”
It can be seen that at that time, the General Cave was loved by collectors for its rarity.
Guo Xiang Renzuo General Cave Furong Stone Lion Defu Zhang Southeast Fujian 2014 Autumn Auction Released
The Hibiscus Stone of the General Cave, from any point of view, can be called a legendary stone in shoushan stone: because the furong stone vein is hidden deep in the mountain, it was limited by excavation in the early days, and often the stones produced were inferior.
Until the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, a mining cave owned by a Mindi general produced a batch of hibiscus stone, whose texture was condensed and warm, as elegant as mutton fat and jade, which subverted the reputation of "no covering treasure color" of hibiscus stone in one fell swoop, and became a famous product of "Xiongzhi Shoushan mountain that can be frozen with Tian Huang frozen stone", because its mine cave is owned by the general, it is called "General Cave Hibiscus Stone".
In the early Qing Dynasty, Yang Yuxuan carved a button General Cave Furong Stone Qing Zaiquan self-use printing Southeast Fujian 2019 Spring Auction Released
However, because of its vertical narrow veins and the problem of overflowing water, the furong stone of the General Cave collapsed soon after mining, and the hibiscus stone of the general cave in the old pit also became a masterpiece in the world.
However, it is precisely because of this exquisite "absolute" that the world will never forget, and in the years that followed, the diggers were constantly pursuing the traces of the Hibiscus Stone of the General Cave.
General Cave Furong Stone Su Fangzhang Southeast Fujian 2017 Autumn Auction Released
Eventually, next to the cave of the Hibiscus Stone of the General Cave, someone excavated a new mine along the direction of the General Cave vein, and the hibiscus stone produced was also warm and delicate with excellent texture, condensing and pressing the hand, so it was also known as the General Cave Hibiscus Stone. The revitalized General Cave Hibiscus Stone also continued the fate of the old cave, and its mine collapsed only a year later, once again becoming a masterpiece.
Guo Xiang Renzuo General Cave Furong Stone Pu Prison Button Chapter Released in the Autumn Auction of Southeast Fujian 2014
Due to its scarcity and preciousness, the "legend" of the General Cave Furong Stone, which began during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, has continued to this day, and in today's auction field, it is still the object of people's competition, and has repeatedly created auction miracles:
In 2017, the seated statue of The Furong Stone Ma Ming Bodhisattva in the Qing Zhou Shangjun General Cave was sold for 5.98 million yuan; in 2019, in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Yang Yuxuan carved the Button General Cave Furong Stone Zaiquan Self-use Seal for 1.7825 million yuan, and in 2013, Wu Changshuo carved the General Cave Furong Stone Taiping Elephant Button Seal for 1.104 million yuan...
Qing Zhou Shangjun General Cave Furong Stone Ma Ming Bodhisattva Seated Statue Released in the Spring 2017 Auction of Southeast Fujian
"The puff pastry is cut, the cream is condensed inside, and the greasy has been reached outside", the General Cave Hibiscus Stone will continue to create its own "legend".
Resources:
"Top materials and peak craftsmanship, achieve the legend of "General Cave"! Shoushan Stone Culture Network