Page 134 - 2021 March 17th, Indian and Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art, Christie's New York City

THE PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN
450
A COPPER FIGURE OF A WINGED LION
NEPAL, 15TH CENTURY
4Ω in. (11.4 cm.) high; 4√ in. (12.4 cm) wide
$3,000-5,000
PROVENANCE:
Sotheby's London, 14 October 1992, lot 694.
The Longridge Collection, Connecticut, acquired from the above.
The Longridge Collection; Christie's New York, 22 March 2011, lot 470.

LITERATURE:
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24650.

尼泊爾 十五世紀 銅瑞獅
來源:
倫敦蘇富比，1992年10月14日，拍品694。
The Longridge Collection，康乃狄克州，得自上述藏家。
The Longridge Collection；紐約佳士得，2011年3月22日，拍品470。
出版:
“喜馬拉雅藝術資源”（Himalayan Art Resources），編號24650。

The present figure represents a mythical winged lion. Lions serve diverse
symbolism in Nepal, widely considered royalty, guardian and power figures
in both Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, they are also symbolic of the
bodhisattvas, or Buddha’s lions, and recall Buddha himself, who was born
a member of the Sakya (“lion”) clan. Larger lion monuments, in a similar
style to the present example, can be found outside temples and monasteries
throughout Kathmandu Valley. Mythical winged lions like the present example
are also found on Nepalese coins dating to as early as Licchavi dynastic ruler
Amshuvarman’s reign (c. 605-621 CE). Compare the present figure to a later,
but similarly portable, bronze figure of a winged lion at the Asian Art Museum,
San Francisco (acc. no. B60S246).