CHINESE TERRACOTTA LION ON PODIUM - TL TESTED

Tang Dynasty, Ca. AD 618 - 906. A lively lion seated on a low tree stump or rocky base, the body compact and rounded with a tucked hindquarter and long forelimbs set forward. The head turns slightly to the proper left, the muzzle short and upturned with drilled nostrils and a faint grin. The eyes are almond-shaped beneath arched brows. The mane is arranged in comma-shaped and scroll-like locks around the crown and nape. The animal raises its right hind paw to its cheek in a playful "scratching" gesture, while the remaining paws grip the base; the paw pads are distinctly modelled as oval bosses. The base is textured with vertical striations and pierced through the front and back, featuring vent holes from manufacture and firing. The surface displays a thin white slip with warm buff earthen hues, small retained traces of red on the inner ears, and scattered earthen accretions. For similar see: Bonhams, 18.06.2024 - 4.07. 2024. Lot. 71. Size: D:mm / US: 435 / UK: 310; Weight: 12.7kg Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong. This piece has been precisely dated using a thermoluminescence analysis carried out by Ralf Kotalla. The report will accompany the lot. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.