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Lot Essay
As in the West, the lion in China was regarded as the king of the beasts, and was a symbol of protection, harmony, blessings and high rank. In their capacity as defenders of the Buddhist law and protector of sacred buildings, lion figures were placed at the entrance to temples, shrines and sometimes private residences. They were usually placed in pairs with the male on the left, female on the right.
The powerfully modeled lion is shown in a dynamic pose, with its left rear paw scratching its ear in a naturalistic and playful manner. A sancai-glazed pottery figure of a lion dating to the Tang dynasty shown in a similar pose, in the Seikado Museum, Tokyo, is illustrated by Masahiko Sato and Gakuji Hasebe (eds.) in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1976, p. 87, no. 67. Another Tang-dynasty sancai-glazed pottery lion sold at Christie’s New York, 18 September 2003, lot 217 (Fig. 1), displays another variation of this pose, with its head bent farther to the side and its paw scratching its chin.
Figures of lions shown in this pose remained popular in subsequent periods, as evidenced by the current figure, as well as a Xing ware figure of a lion, dating to the Northern Song dynasty, formerly in the Eumorphopoulos Collection and now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, illustrated by J. Ayers in Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980, fig. 74. (Fig. 2)
The result of Oxford thermoluminescence test no. C115d58 is consistent with the dating of this lot.
The powerfully modeled lion is shown in a dynamic pose, with its left rear paw scratching its ear in a naturalistic and playful manner. A sancai-glazed pottery figure of a lion dating to the Tang dynasty shown in a similar pose, in the Seikado Museum, Tokyo, is illustrated by Masahiko Sato and Gakuji Hasebe (eds.) in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1976, p. 87, no. 67. Another Tang-dynasty sancai-glazed pottery lion sold at Christie’s New York, 18 September 2003, lot 217 (Fig. 1), displays another variation of this pose, with its head bent farther to the side and its paw scratching its chin.
Figures of lions shown in this pose remained popular in subsequent periods, as evidenced by the current figure, as well as a Xing ware figure of a lion, dating to the Northern Song dynasty, formerly in the Eumorphopoulos Collection and now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, illustrated by J. Ayers in Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980, fig. 74. (Fig. 2)
The result of Oxford thermoluminescence test no. C115d58 is consistent with the dating of this lot.