明 石雕獅子一對

the imposing pair superbly modelled as male and female beasts, each depicted resting on its haunches on a square lotus base elaborately carved with a central constricted beaded border between bands of petal lappets, chiselled with a snarling expression with its jaws open and teeth exposed, accented with flaring nostrils and bulging downcast eyes peering from below thick bushy eyebrows, adorned with a collar around the shoulder suspending a single bell at the front, the collar further adorned around the beast with tufts of tassels and tied with a beribboned knot with ends trailing down the back above its swayed bushy tail, the male depicted firmly clutching a beribboned brocade ball beneath its right front paw, the female resting her front left paw on a small cub

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對獅雕工出眾，壯碩雄健，肌理鬃毛起伏有致、細膩逼真。自古以來，石獅乃權力象徵，多置於正門左右，鎮守驅邪。大型動物石雕傳統源於漢代，皇族陵宮前神道多沿途置成對石獸。獅子象徵力量與平安，頸掛項圈以示忠誠；置石獅於陵前神道，亦象徵封建皇權之神聖。此傳統由漢代延至清末，如江蘇南京附近之明太祖孝陵、廣西桂林之靖江王朱經扶王陵（1523年卒）、河南新鄉潞簡王墓（1614年卒）等，圖載於 Ann Paludan，《The Chinese Spirit Road》，紐哈芬，1991年，圖版234、241及244。

見一對較大類例，售於香港蘇富比2010年4月8日，編號1848。另可參考其他斷代為清朝的石獅，如 John Wannamaker 舊藏一對，售於紐約蘇富比1997年3月23日，編號178。皇家安大略博物館藏一對近例，圖載於《Homage to Heaven. Homage to Earth. Chinese Treasures of the Royal Ontario Museum》，多倫多，1992年，圖版114。