Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Buddhist Guardian Lion (Shishi)
(Japan and Korea )
The lion symbolizes the historical Buddha Shakyamuni and is regarded as a protector of the Buddhist sacred law. This lion sculpture would have either physically supported a statue of the bodhisattva Monju, or depicted a sacred gem under its paw. Given the size of this lion, it was probably one of a pair that was part of a Buddhist altar.
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.
[From Matsubara, Kyoto temple]; Bunkio Matsuki Sale, American Art Association, New York, 1906; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1906, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Japan (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall w/ base, H: 12 3/8 × W: 6 5/16 × L: 10 13/16 in. (31.5 × 16.1 × 27.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1906
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.
61.182