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Lot Essay
This figure of a seated lion is modelled in an extremely rare stance. The majority of Tang ceramic lions are modelled seated squarely on their hind legs with both forelegs straight and head facing forward. The current lion adopts a variant of the latter pose. Its head is turned and a hind leg is raised, but in this case the animal appears to be scratching the side of its head in a naturalistic and rather charming manner.
Another lion in similar pose, although the hind paw has not quite reached the head, in the Seikado Museum, Tokyo is illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1976, p. 87, no. 67. A less elaborate figure of a lion scratching its head, was excavated in 1955 in Xi'an, and is now in the National Museum of History in Beijing illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji - Gongyi meishu bian 2 taoci (zhong), Shanghai, 1988, p. 28 and 68, no. 77.
Another lion in similar pose, although the hind paw has not quite reached the head, in the Seikado Museum, Tokyo is illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1976, p. 87, no. 67. A less elaborate figure of a lion scratching its head, was excavated in 1955 in Xi'an, and is now in the National Museum of History in Beijing illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji - Gongyi meishu bian 2 taoci (zhong), Shanghai, 1988, p. 28 and 68, no. 77.