A TURQUOISE-GLAZED 'LION' ROOF TILE, MING DYNASTY China, early 16^th to mid-17^th century. Well potted and modeled after its Tang dynasty prototype, the beast seated on its haunches, the head raised and mouth wide open in a ferocious roar, revealing tongue and teeth, the lion further detailed with large bulging eyes, thick curled mane, and scrolling tail, covered overall in a rich turquoise glaze.

Provenance: French trade.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age and still presenting remarkably well. Extensive weathering, wear, firing flaws, the mouth with an old repair and associated minor touchups (inspected under strong blue light), few cracks, chips and losses, overall as expected for this type of ware.

Weight: 3,140 g (excl. base) and 3,983 g (incl. base)
Dimensions: Height 33.5 cm (excl. base) and 37.4 cm (incl. base)

With a fine velvet and wood base dating to the early 20^th century. (2)

Literature comparison:
Compare three closely related roof tiles depicting lions, all dated from the beginning of the 16^th century to the end of the Ming dynasty, all in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession numbers C.158-1938, C.398-1912, and C.396-1912. For the Tang dynasty prototype, see a tomb figure of a roaring lion with green splash-glaze in the British Museum, museum number 1947,0712.11, recently published on the cover of the catalog for the Oriental Ceramic Society's centennial exhibition.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 29 March 2006, lot 428
Price: USD 42,000 or approx. EUR 59,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Large Glazed Tileworks Buddhistic Lion Stand, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Expert remark: Note the related form, glazes and subject matter as well as the larger size (73.7 cm)



明代鎮脊坐獅
中國，十六世紀初至十七世紀中期。陶製精良，坐姿端正，獅子昂首張嘴，似乎正發出兇猛的吼聲，露出舌頭和獠牙，雙眼圓睜，鬃毛捲曲，尾巴上捲。通體覆蓋著鮮艷的綠松石色釉。

來源：法國古玩交易市場。
品相：狀況良好，與年齡相稱，大面積風化、磨損、燒製瑕疵、嘴部修復和相應的輕微修飾（在強藍光下檢查），幾乎沒有裂縫、磕損碎和缺損。

重量：3,140 克 (不含底座) 或3,983 克 (含底座)
尺寸：高33.5 厘米 (不含底座) 或 37.4 厘米 (含底座)

二十世紀初木底座。

文獻比較：
比較三個非常相近的鎮脊坐獅，它們的年代都是16世紀初到明朝末年，都是維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館的收藏品，收藏編號為C.158-1938，C.398-1912，和C.396-1912。關於唐代的原型，可參考大英博物館收藏的綠釉咆哮坐獅像，博物館編號1947,0712.11，最近在東方陶瓷協會百年展的目錄封面上發表。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2006年3月29日，lot 428
價格：USD 42,000（相當於今日EUR 59,500）
描述：明代大型太獅瓦座
專家評論：請注意相近的形式、釉面和主題，以及較大的尺寸（73.7厘米）。