Antique Foo Foo Dog Chinese Imperial Guardian Lion Shishi Khmer Sculpture Cambodia Bronze Gilt Statue 11"
This rare antique Foo Foo Dog solid bronze and gilt statue is very heavy and shows great patina that seems to place this figure around late C19th or between the years 1850-1899.
Origin is unknown but this particular Asian style of shishi can be traced back to the Khmer, Cambodia area.
- Dimension:
Height: 11" / 28cm
Length: 5.11" / 13cm
Width: 5.5" / 14 cm - Weight: 6.3lb / 101.23 oz / 2.870Kg
- Origin Unknown
Chinese or Imperial guardian lions are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi. They are known in colloquial English as lion dogs or foo dogs. The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism, features a pair of highly stylized lions—often one male with a ball and one female with a cub—which were thought to protect the building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a threat. Used in imperial Chinese palaces and tombs, the lions subsequently spread to other parts of Asia including Japan (see komainu), Korea, Tibet, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan, and Singapore.[1]