Figure
ca. 1750-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A shishi is a mythical beast sometimes known as a 'Chinese Lion' or 'Dog of Fo'. Their carved figures are often found, usually in pairs, in the grounds of temples or shrines, where they guarded against evil spirits and demons. This particular shishi is made of glazed stoneware and was produced at the Bizen kilns (modern Okayama Prefecture) in Japan. Shishi are often shown near waterfalls or amid rocks and peonies. They are said to cast out their young from a high rock. If the cub begins to climb up again it is judged to be a perfect beast. Many depictions of shishi climbing up rocks are found in Japanese art.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed stoneware |
| Brief description | Figure of shishi, glazed stoneware; Japan, Bizen, Edo period, ca. 1750-1850 |
| Physical description | Figure of a shishi, stoneware with thin glaze, Bizen ware. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Gallery label | FIGURE OF A SHISHI
Stoneware with thin glaze
Bizen ware
JAPANESE; c. 1750-1850
193-1877
A shishi is a mythical beast sometimes known as a 'Chinese Lion' or 'Dog of Fo'. Their carved figures are found, usually in pairs, in the grounds of temples guarding against demons. This shishi may have served the same purpose in a domestic shrine. Shishi are also often shown near waterfalls or amid rocks and peonies. Shishi are said to cast out their young from a high rock. If the cub begins to climb up again it is judged to be a perfect beast. Many depictions of shishi climbing up rocks are found in Japanese art. |
| Object history | Purchased from the Japanese Commissioners for the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, accessioned in 1877. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | A shishi is a mythical beast sometimes known as a 'Chinese Lion' or 'Dog of Fo'. Their carved figures are often found, usually in pairs, in the grounds of temples or shrines, where they guarded against evil spirits and demons. This particular shishi is made of glazed stoneware and was produced at the Bizen kilns (modern Okayama Prefecture) in Japan. Shishi are often shown near waterfalls or amid rocks and peonies. They are said to cast out their young from a high rock. If the cub begins to climb up again it is judged to be a perfect beast. Many depictions of shishi climbing up rocks are found in Japanese art. |
| Bibliographic reference | Augustus Wollaston Franks and M. Shioda, Japanese Pottery. [London]: Chapman & Hall Ltd., 1880. South Kensington Museum Art Handbooks; 18.
Catalogue number 34 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 193-1877 |
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| Record created | December 7, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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