Jade carving of two lions

[Jade carving of two lions]

Jade carving of two lions, yuan, 7.3 cm long, 5.2 cm wide and 1.7 cm thick. The old collection of the Qing Palace
The jade is white and colorless. It is a thick sheet. The big lion and the small lion are carved. The big lion lies down and looks back. The front legs step on the ball, the small lion stands upright, and the front legs are raised, playing with the big lion
Lions live in the tropics and are rare in China, but they were imported into China very early. There are many works of lion theme in Chinese handicrafts of all ages. There are two main types: one is based on the real lion, and the other is exaggerated. At present, most of the lion works we see are handed down. It is difficult to define the age of manufacture. Generally, researchers use the characteristics of Lugou Bridge and the Forbidden City Broken Hong Bridge to define the age of the northern lion works. This jade lion has a small head and a crescent-shaped arc on its cheek, which has obvious characteristics of the works of the Yuan Dynasty.