Page 32 - Chinese works of art and paintings, March 19 Bonhams
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A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF A GUARDIAN LION
Northern Qi-Sui Dynasty Provenance
Seated on its haunches with front legs firmly braced, the well- J.J Lally & Co., New York, February 2008
delineated head with bulging eyes and exposed fangs, supported by
a powerful body, the fur of the broad mane, forelegs and tail finely Exhibited
cast, the overall gilded surface gilded with a vivid green encrusted J.J Lally & Co., New York,Two Thousand Years of Chinese Sculpture,
patina. Spring 2008, no. 9
4in (10.3cm) high
It is likely this noble lion would have originally been part of a Buddhist
$12,000 - 18,000 votive group, and the presence of lions can be traced back to
the Buddhist art of India, where depictions of the seated Buddha
北齊至隋 銅鎏金護法獅 are flanked by lions, both as protection and as a statement of his
majesty. A similar sized lion--also seated--and dating from the Six
Dynasties (220-589), is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 42.25.32.
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