Figurine
15th century-16th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This little Buddhist lion is full of charm. Modelled in the round, its paws and tail are reproduced in every detail underneath. Numbers of small bronze animal models such as this were both made as trinkets and for a more useful purpose, such as serving as a scroll or paperweight. In this way they are comparable to jade figures, and indeed this example is very similar to jade carvings.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gilded bronze inlaid with semi-precious stones |
| Brief description | Figurine, gilded bronze inlaid with semi-precious stones, China, 15th to 16th century |
| Physical description | Figurine of bronze, solidly cast in form of small lion figure. Made of an alloy of copper with zinc, it has been fire-gilded and has blue and red stones inlaid as decoration. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This little Buddhist lion is full of charm. Modelled in the round, its paws and tail are reproduced in every detail underneath. Numbers of small bronze animal models such as this were both made as trinkets and for a more useful purpose, such as serving as a scroll or paperweight. In this way they are comparable to jade figures, and indeed this example is very similar to jade carvings. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.741-1910 |
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| Record created | March 3, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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