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Lot Essay
A very similar pair of white marble Buddhist lions was sold in our New York Rooms, 22 June 1999, lot 147.
Since ancient times, this great animal has been believed to possess great powers of protection. Often depicted in pairs, as in the current lot, the male playing with a brocade ball andthe female with a cub; statues and figurines of these majestic beasts were placed outside important buildings and sites, such as Imperial palaces, tombs, government offices and residences of officials. There are for example, four great stone lions, amongst six other animal pairs, that line the walkway to the Ming dynasty Imperial tombs. One of the four lions is illustrated in Patricia Bjaaland Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, 2008, p.136, fig. 301. This walkway, called the 'spirit road', was lined with imposing guards that provided strength and security.
Not being indigenous to China, the image of the lion was popularised with the introduction of Buddhism, in which it is described as a symbol of the Buddha and figured as the defender of law and protector of sacred buildings. Furthermore, the character for "lion" in Chinese, shi, is also a homophone for 'teacher or master'. The meaning of the lion motif was thus also understood as expressions of and wishes for sucessful careers. Stone lions such as the present pair, placed outside residences, were therefore auspicious symbols of high social status and prosperity.
Since ancient times, this great animal has been believed to possess great powers of protection. Often depicted in pairs, as in the current lot, the male playing with a brocade ball andthe female with a cub; statues and figurines of these majestic beasts were placed outside important buildings and sites, such as Imperial palaces, tombs, government offices and residences of officials. There are for example, four great stone lions, amongst six other animal pairs, that line the walkway to the Ming dynasty Imperial tombs. One of the four lions is illustrated in Patricia Bjaaland Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, 2008, p.136, fig. 301. This walkway, called the 'spirit road', was lined with imposing guards that provided strength and security.
Not being indigenous to China, the image of the lion was popularised with the introduction of Buddhism, in which it is described as a symbol of the Buddha and figured as the defender of law and protector of sacred buildings. Furthermore, the character for "lion" in Chinese, shi, is also a homophone for 'teacher or master'. The meaning of the lion motif was thus also understood as expressions of and wishes for sucessful careers. Stone lions such as the present pair, placed outside residences, were therefore auspicious symbols of high social status and prosperity.