Very Rare Pair Of 18Th Century Chinese Marble Temple Lion Guardians Foo Dogs

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Seller: royal-house-antiques ✉️ (4,103) 99%, Location: London Wimbledon, GB, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 184010824322 VERY RARE PAIR OF 18TH CENTURY CHINESE MARBLE TEMPLE LION GUARDIANS FOO DOGS.

Wimbledon-Furniture

Wimbledon-Furniture is delighted to offer for auction this stunning and very rare pair of white marble 18th century Imperial Temple Lion Guardians or Foo dogs

A truly exquisite pair, the patina is absolutely glorious from all angles, they could be pressure washed back to the white marble however it has taken hundreds of years to develop this look and feel

Chinese or Imperial guardian lions are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi. They are informally known in colloquial English as lion dogs or foo dogs. The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism, features a pair of highly stylized lions—often one male with a ball and one female with a cub—which were thought to protect the building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a threat. Used in imperial Chinese palaces and tombs, the lions subsequently spread to other parts of Asia including Japan (see komainu), Korea, Tibet, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan, and Singapore

Statues of guardian lions have traditionally stood in front of Chinese Imperial palaces, Imperial tombs, government offices, temples, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy, and were believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits. They are also used in other artistic contexts, for example on door-knockers, and in pottery. Pairs of guardian lion statues are still common decorative and symbolic elements at the entrances to restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and other structures, with one sitting on each side of the entrance, in China and in other places around the world where the Chinese people have immigrated and settled, especially in local Chinatowns.

The lions are usually depicted in pairs. When used as statuary the pair would consist of a male leaning his paw upon an embroidered ball (in imperial contexts, representing supremacy over the world) and a female restraining a playful cub that is on its back (representing nurture).

Dimensions

Height:- 42cm

Width:- 16.5cm

Depth:- 24.5cm

Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask

Any questions please feel free to ask before you bid   

 

ABOUT US

Wimbledon-Furniture is a privately owned family ran business out of Wimbledon SW19, we have four large storage warehouse’s, if you have any questions my number is under the business sellers information, please feel free to call or text  

 

PAYMENTS

We accept payment via card at the warehouse on the day of collection, PayPal or bacs prior to collection We would kindly ask that all items are paid for within 48 hours and collected within 7 working days, we can hold all paid items for 14 days free of charge, there after a £10 a week storage fee will apply for the first two weeks

Please ask before purchase should you wish us to hold something for longer than two weeks, if after three months your item isn’t collected you will forfeit your payment and the item will be placed for sale again  

 

CONDITION

Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description around condition

Please also ask any questions before you bid and not after, all of our items are sold as seen and as listed

Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of cracking creasing and wear, we recommend regular waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade   

 

  • Region of Origin: Chinese
  • Product: Statue
  • Age: Pre-1800
  • Primary Material: MARBLE
  • Theme: Lion, Temple guardian, Animal, Foo Dog, Spiritual Figure
  • Features: Handcarved
  • Sub-Type: STATUES
  • Height: 42cm
  • Original/Repro: Antique Original
  • Chinese Dynasty: Xia (2070-1600 BC)

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