Lion

8th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 207

This regal lion, who steps on lotus blossoms atop an altar table, may have served as the mount for a figure of the bodhisattva Manjushri, the Buddhist embodiment of transcendent wisdom.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

唐鎏金青銅獅子
Title: Lion
Period: Tang dynasty (618–907)
Date: 8th century
Culture: China
Medium: Bronze with traces of gilding
Dimensions: H. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1942
Object Number: 42.25.31
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Buddha Maitreya (Mile) Altarpiece, Gilt bronze, China — Buddha Maitreya (Mile) Altarpiece
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dated 524 (5th year of Zhengguang reign)

Buddha, probably Amitabha
, Dry lacquer with polychrome pigment and gilding, China — Buddha, probably Amitabha
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Dish in the shape of a leaf, Silver with parcel gilding, China — Dish in the shape of a leaf
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late 7th–early 8th century

Head of a Bodhisattva, Sandstone with pigment, China — Head of a Bodhisattva
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ca. early 8th century

Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), Sandstone with pigment, China — Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
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