Page 80 - Fine Chinese Art Bonhams London May 2018

A RARE PAIR OF MONUMENTAL

POLYCHROME-GLAZED
BUDDHIST LIONS ON STANDS
Late Ming Dynasty, 16th/17th century

Dr Clarence Eng

These splendid guardian lions should be visualised standing
protectively before a classical temple-hall for which they were
commissioned. Glazed in a striking azure blue flecked with turquoise
and highlighted in yellow, they stand impressively tall, raised on
waisted pedestals to an overall height of over 200 cm (80in), well
over head-height. They are boldly modelled with authoritative but
lively facial demeanour which masks their robust form.

Guardian figures are thought to have arrived in China from
Central Asia in the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) to be
placed outside the palace halls of the wealthy. Later, with the
establishment of religious sites, some of which had originated
as the gifted residences of wealthy patrons, guardian figures
and guardian animals continued to ward off evil at the entrances
of temples and halls bequeathed or endowed anew by wealthy
patrons. Most guardian figures placed in the open were lions,
either carved in stone or cast in bronze or iron, and they became
a fashionable sign of prestigious rank outside fine residences or
generously-endowed temples. However, ceramic guardian lions
are relatively few, possibly because their inherent fragility reduced
the numbers which survived, and being outdoors they would be
more vulnerable in turbulent times (see Fig.1 for other typical
guardian figures).

This pair has survived remarkably well and each assembly is
presented imposingly in three parts with the lion resting on a
matching two-piece pedestal 90cm (36in) high. They announce in
many ways their Buddhist association.
The male lion, traditionally positioned on the right as one faces the
hall, sits open-mouthed and staring ahead with his left front paw,
as is customary, resting playfully on an embroidered brocade ball.
The female sits to the left with her mouth nearly shut and, as is also
customary, has her right paw clasped protectively around her cub.
The ball and cub are strongly embedded in traditional styling, and