Creative Commons License
Vase with Lions and Tasseled Balls
(China )
This vase's cylindrical body and flared neck depict nine lions playing with brocaded balls with waving tassels, a reoccurring subject of Chinese Buddhism. The sky is spotted with scrolling flames as the lions are supported on the banks of scrolled clouds. The slopped shoulders that separate the lions into two groups are painted with clouds, traversed by five flying bats which symbolize happiness. An inverted foot is decorated with white plum blossoms on a blue ground. Soft tone blues are applied in the outline and wash technique creating clearly defined brush strokes on the lions and a dappled texture to the clouds. The porcelain is of a white soft paste.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
William T. Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Geographies
China (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 8 11/16 in. (22.1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
49.1527