AN AGATE BUDDHIST LION, LATE MING TO EARLY QING

A CARVED AGATE BUDDHIST LION, LATE MING TO EARLY QING DYNASTY
China, 17th century. The mythical beast carved reclining with its head turned left and resting on its left paw, the hind legs tucked under its body, with a large bushy tail curled up around its backside at the end of a ridged spine, the facial features well defined, the stone of a translucent caramel tone with amber inclusions.

Provenance: From a Hungarian private collection.
Condition: Fine condition with extensive wear and traces of use, the stone with areas of erosion that were cleverly integrated into the design by the lapidary to simulate the lion's fur, some inclusions and natural fissures to the mineral, partially with small old fillings.

Weight: 222.6 g
Dimensions: Length 9 cm

Literature comparison: Compare with a jade 'mythical beast' weight, Han dynasty, illustrated by J.C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, New York, 1980, p.41, no.10. Compare also with the carving style of a white jade 'lion' weight, Ming dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 6, Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, p.254, no.260.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related agate carving of a Buddhist lion at Bonham's Hong Kong in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 28 Mai 2019, lot 112, bought in at HKD $250,000/350,000.

瑪瑙佛獅，明末清初
中國，十七世紀。瑞獸頭部傾斜，向左傾斜並停靠在左爪上，後腿藏在身體下方，脊梁末端一條大而濃密的尾巴，面部細節清晰，瑪瑙半透明呈焦糖色，有内沁。

來源：匈牙利私人收藏
品相：品相良好，磨損嚴重，有使用痕跡，瑪瑙石有色斑処被巧妙的用來體現瑞獸皮毛。 内沁和天然裂紋内局部含有舊時填充物。

重量：222.6 克
尺寸：長9 厘米

拍賣結果比較：一件相似瑪瑙雕佛獅可見2019年5月28日香港邦翰思《中國陶瓷和工藝品》拍號 112，估價HKD $250,000/350,000。