Lot 302
302
LATER BRONZES
A "BUDDHISTIC LION" SILVER SUNDIAL

18TH CENTURY

Details
A "BUDDHISTIC LION" SILVER SUNDIAL
18th Century
Finely cast as a crouching Buddhistic lion looking back over its shoulder and issuing vapor from its mouth forming a support for the circular sundial, the dial set at an angle and with a central pin indicator, the lion with a ferocious expression, upright bushy tail, mane and eyebrows
5 3/8in. (13.6cm.) high

Lot Essay

Small bronze animals are more commonly found and a silver example in the context of a sundial support is a rarity, possibly inspired by the famous bronze qilin mirror stand in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, p. 101 and front cover