Page 186 - Bonhams Hong Kong The Skinner Moon Flasks

144 A larger Buddhist lion or dashi (大獅) and a smaller Buddhist lion or
A VERY FINE BAMBOO-ROOT ‘BUDDHIST LION AND CUB’ xiaoshi (小獅) playing with a brocade ball, form the rebus ‘may you
CARVING and your descendant achieve high rank’, taishi shaoshi (太師少師).
18th century During the Western Zhou dynasty, taishi was the highest military rank
Intricately carved in the form of a large recumbent Buddhist lion playing of the period; during the Warring States period, the Kingdom of Chu
with a brocaded ball, the mother depicted snarling protectively with established the rank of shaoshi, which represents the tutor to the
one cub balanced precariously on her back, distracting her from the prince.
other cub emerging playfully on the other side in attempt to snatch the
ball, the root bamboo of a darkened cocoa-brown colour, wood stand Compare a similar bamboo carving of a Buddhist lion playing with
and fitted box. a brocade ball and cub, by Shi Qiji, 18th/early 19th century, and
8.5cm (3 3/8in) wide (3). another related carving of a Buddhist lion and cub, 17th/18th century,
illustrated by L.C.S. Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, vol.I, Hong Kong,
HK$150,000 - 200,000 1978, pp.100, 342-343 and 348-349. For another related example,
US$19,000 - 26,000 Qing dynasty, see Ming and Qing Chinese Arts from the C.P. Lin
Collection, Hong Kong, 2014, pl.188.
十八世紀 竹根雕戲球獅

Provenance: 取竹根雕刻而成，圓雕二獅戲球，大獅前爪抱繡球，蹲伏回首，兩隻
An important Asian private collection 小獅伏大獅後背兩側，鬃毛細膩，繡球雖小，猶作鏤空，不愧為匠心
之作。
來源：
重要亞洲私人收藏 參看一件十八世紀/十九世紀早期時其吉刻竹根雕戲球獅，及另一件十
七/十八世紀竹根雕太獅少獅，著錄於葉義、譚志成，《中國竹刻藝
術》，卷一，香港，1978年，頁100，342-243及348-349。另見香港
長青館藏一件清代竹根雕大獅小獅，著錄於《長青館藏明清瓷、玉、
角、竹、畫琺瑯》，香港，2014年，圖版188。

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