Guardian lion

mid-6th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 207

This lion head and its mate (30.66.1) were likely part of a sarcophagus. A similar pair of lions adorns the sarcophagus of Shi Jun, found in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, in 2003 (see Yang Junkai, Xi’an Shi Jun mu (Xi’an: Xi’an shi wenwu baohu yanjiusuo, 2014), 杨军凯，西安史君墓). Other comparable examples include the eight lion heads attached to the sarcophagus of Yu Hong, excavated in Taiyuan, Shanxi province in the early 2000 (Taiyuan shi wenwu kaogu yanjiusuo, Sui dai Yu Hong mu (Beijing: Wenwu Press, 2005) 太原市文物考古研究所 (编). 《隋代虞弘墓》. 北京: 文物出版社. 2005年9月1日. ISBN 978750101668).

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

北齊石獅
Title: Guardian lion
Period: Northern Qi dynasty (550–577)
Date: mid-6th century
Culture: China
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: H. 25 3/4 in. (65.4 cm); W. 22 in. (55.9 cm); D. 23 in. (58.4 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1930
Object Number: 30.66.2
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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