Chinese rock-crystal carving of two Fu Lion Dogs, 1500 - 1600 CE
Rock Crystal
4
MS.1992
Chinese guardian lions or Imperial guardian lions are often called 'Foo Dogs' in the West, are a common representation of the lion in imperial China. Statues of guardian lions have...
Chinese guardian lions or Imperial guardian lions are often called "Foo Dogs" in the West, are a common representation of the lion in imperial China.
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, from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) onwards, and were believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits. They are also used in other artistic contexts, for example on door-knockers, as well as in pottery. 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.
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, from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) onwards, and were believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits. They are also used in other artistic contexts, for example on door-knockers, as well as in pottery. 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.