A puddingstone carving of a lion


Tang DynastyThe powerfully carved figure shown seated on its haunches with forelegs outstretched, the head facing forward with a fierce expression conveyed by bulging eyes and mouth open in a roar showing the teeth and up-curled tongue, the ears flattened back above the curling mane, the lower part of the forelegs and rectangular base later, wood replacements. 15cm (5 7/8in) high. (2).
|The Property of a Gentleman 士紳藏品唐 抱子石雕坐獅像Provenance: The Adolfo de Velasco Collection, MarrakechJean-Yves Ollivier Collection來源：摩洛哥馬拉喀什藏家Adolfo de Velasco先生舊藏歐宗易先生珍藏Introduced into China from Central Asia as symbols of religious power, probably following the introduction of Buddhism during the Han dynasty, lions became significant protective emblems within elite architecture. The Buddha Shakyamuni was seen as a newborn child pointing to Heaven with one hand and to Earth with the other, 'roaring like a lion' and Buddhists regarded lions as divine creatures of nobleness and protectors of the Truth. Compare with a similar pudding stone model of a seated lion, Tang dynasty, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated by L.Roberts, Treasures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1979, no.28. Another puddingstone lion, Tang dynasty, formerly in the George Eumorfopoulos Collection and currently in the British Museum, is illustrated by L.Ashton, An Introduction to the Study of Chinese Sculpture, London, 1924, pl.50.坐像圓雕而成，獅口大張作吼，怒目圓睜，腮毛後撇，雙耳後伏，鬃毛蝸卷，筋肉鮮明強健。獅子造像隨佛教傳入中國，常作為力量的象征，護衛法場。「獅吼」代表了守護及攝持正法，饒益安樂一切眾生。紐約大都會博物館藏有一件抱子石獅吼像，和本件拍品頗似，見L.Roberts著，《Treasures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art（大都會博物館珍寶）》，紐約，1979年，編號28。尤莫弗普勒斯舊藏，現藏大英博物館的一件類似獅子像亦資參考，見L.Ashton著，《 An Introduction to the Study of Chinese Sculpture（中國雕塑導論）》，倫敦，1924年，圖版50。