A PAIR OF BLANC-DE-CHINE LIONS QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

each modelled seated, the male looking to its left with fierce stare, the bulging eyes slightly shaded beneath bushy curled eyebrows, the left foreleg raised upon a large reticulated 'brocade' ball set with studs, the impressive beast adorned with a collar of bells and applied with long locks of hair and snail-shell curls with a particularly fine openwork bushy tail, the female lion looking slightly up to her right, her snarling mouth open to grasp the paw of one animated lion cub clambering up her shoulder and looking down at the second lion cub struggling to escape beneath the heavy paw of the mother and draped beneath a long scarf, the details of the cubs equally finely executed, wood stands

The pair are overall in good condition. There are scattered characteristic ironspots. To the lion on the LHS. There is a 0.6 by 0.6 flake on the ribbon and to the left of the front left paw. There is a hairline firing crack to the lock of mane second to the right, approx 2cm, to the tip of the left lock, a several short lines to the paws. There is a small firing flaw (under the glaze) under the bell on the LHS. To the lion on the RHS, there are three small flakes to the ribbon on the back, the largest of approx 0.4 by 0.2cm. The tip of one strand of mane has chipped off. There is a hairline firing crack to the end of a lock of mane second to the right, the tip of which has chipped off. The tip of a lock of the tail has chipped off and there are short hairline firing lines to the tail, cub on her back and the back of the left ear.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Grand et petit lion (dashi xiaoshi) est une homophonie de taishi shaoshi, " que vos descendants obtiennent une position sociale de rang élevée".

These shizi are exceptional because of their size and elaborate modelling. A related pair was sold in our New York rooms, 20^th March 2007, lot 771; and large Buddhist lions were also included in the exhibition Chinese Ceramic Sculpture, The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 1990, cat. no. 53. For similarly modelled lions of smaller proportions, see Robert Blumenfield, Blanc de Chine. The Great Porcelain of Dehua, Berkley, 2002, p. 90.