Fire Stone with Ox and Teapot

Generations have sat before this sculptural limestone fire screen, protected from sparks and warmed for hours by the heat retained in this thick block of stone. Hand-carved charming imagery and subtle etching, the hundred-year-old stone shows the passage of time in the rounded edges and softened lines of its once keenly chiseled form. On one side of the fire stone shows an ox staring up at the moon, while on the other side is a round teapot, perhaps in reference to the role of tea in welcoming guests to the home.