Page 68 - Christie's Chinese Works of Art March 24 and 25th, 2022 NYC

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION
742
A SUPERB CARVED WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A LION
TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)
The powerfully carved beast is shown seated and facing forward and with
front legs firmly planted on a rectangular plinth, the mouth open in a roar.
6æ in. (17 cm.) high, cloth box
$40,000-60,000
PROVENANCE:
Galaxie Art (B. K. Wong), Hong Kong, 25 November 1990.

The lion is well represented in Buddhist art of the Tang dynasty, as its roar was
said to represent the dissemination of the Buddhist scriptures. In their role
as guardian figures, lions can be found not only lining spirit roads which lead
to imperial tombs, but also in pairs in tombs, such as the pair of small marble
lions found guarding the front room of the underground hoard of Buddhist
relics at the Famen Temple. See Famen Temple, Shanxi, 1990, pp. 164-167.
A similarly-modeled, but slightly larger (7¿ in.), Tang dynasty lion from the
James and Marilynn Alsdorf collection was sold in Sacred and Imperial:
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Part II, Christie’s New York, 24
September 2020, lot 908.

私人珍藏
唐 石雕獅子
來源:
Galaxie Art & Gift Company (王炳權), 香港, 1990年11月25日

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