Lion
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Lions were introduced to China from ancient Persia and India, thereafter capturing the Chinese imagination. Large stone sculptures of lions soon lined the “spirit paths” leading to the tombs of royals and aristocrats, and they became standard elements flanking entrances to government offices and private residences alike. The present example is largely missing its legs, but remnants of its limbs, together with its burly chest and taut haunches, suggest that it originally assumed a striding posture. An inscription on the back of its head indicates that it once formed part of a pair placed at the gate of Luoyang, the Eastern Han capital.
Artwork Details
- 东汉 石狮
- Title: Lion
- Period: Eastern Han dynasty (25–220)
- Culture: China
- Medium: Stone
- Dimensions: H. 38 9/16 in. (98 cm); W. 18 7/8 in. (48 cm); L. 51 3/16 in. (130 cm); estimated Wt. 1272 lb. (577 kg)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by Shandong Provincial Museum
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art