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14 septembre 2016

A large gray stone figure of a seated lion, Northern Wei dynasty (386–535)

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Lot 149. A large gray stone figure of a seated lion, Northern Wei dynasty (386–535). Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 USD. Lot sold 212,500 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

powerfully modeled, the muscular beast seated on its haunches on a rectangular base with forelegs outstretched and long tail curled up over its back, the head with fierce expression, the mouth open in a roar below glaring eyes, all framed by a curling beard and swept-back mane, tufts of fur carved to the shoulders and chest, the stone of mottled gray-buff color. Height 19 in., 48.3 cm

Provenance: Galerie C.T. Loo & Cie, Paris. 
J.T. Tai, New York.
Sotheby's New York, 3rd June 1985, lot 25.

Literature: Loo Family Photographs, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. 

NotesThis magnificent stone beast belongs to a special group of carvings from the Northern Wei period that stems from the Han dynasty tradition of placing pairs of animals to line the Spirit Road leading to important tombs. While this lavish tradition was abandoned during the Northern Wei, due to both economic and social reasons, large stone sculptures of animals, such as the present piece, began to appear in Buddhist shrines and temples, where they were used as architectural supports. For a discussion on Northern Wei sculptures of animals, see Ann Paludan, The Chinese Spirit Road, New Haven, 1991, pp 52-83, where she notes that some elements of ancestors worship were adopted by Buddhist patrons; hence the construction of many Buddhist shrines dedicated to ancestors.

Compare a pair of slightly larger stone lions, believed to have come from the Longmen cave complex, from the collection of A.W. Bahr, illustrated in Osvald Sirén, Chinese Sculpture from the 5th to the 14th Century, New York, 1970, pls 115A and 115B; and a smaller example sold in these rooms, 19th March 1997, lot 162.

The present sculpture was amongst the Chinese artifacts that showcased the exquisite collection of the Pagoda in Paris that served as the home of Galerie C.T. Loo & Cie., belonging to the collector and dealer C.T. Loo (Ching Tsai Loo 1880-1957) (fig.1). Pagoda Paris remains a landmark in the 8th district of Paris, adjacent to the Parc Monceau. It was purchased by Loo in 1925, who with the help of the prominent architect Fernand Bloch, transformed the building into a Chinese-style pagoda, the exterior painted in deep red. Its interior was lavishly decorated with lacquer panels from Shanxi that paid homage to Loo’s birthplace and heritage. C.T. Loo to this day remains one of the most renowned collectors and dealers of the early 20th century, who was active from the 1910s to the 40s. Loo helped create Chinese art collections for the elite, such as the Morgans and the Rockefellers, but also supplied to top museums and institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The present magnificent stone lion is representative of Loo’s fine and impeccable taste.

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Fig. 1 Monique, daughter of C.T. Loo, photographed with the present lot in the Pagoda Paris, 1937 © Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., FSA A2010.07 26.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2016, 10:30 AM

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